The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications (GCT), has launched a campaign dubbed “Save Our Fibre” to publicly highlight construction projects leading to fibre cuts and and its impact on the quality of telecoms and broadband services across the country, with the hope of eradicating fibre cuts completely.
The campaign comes particularly on the back of the significant expenditure of GHS118 million telcos spent on as many as 5,133 fibre cuts across the country in the just first half of this year.
A statement from the Chamber said the “Save Our Fibre” campaign will be rolled out across social media platforms, and will focus on highlighting the various construction projects which are causing fibre cuts and the particular communities affected in the process. It will also update the public on the steps being taken to fix the damaged fibre.
The Chamber said it is deeply concerned about the high incidence of fibre cuts that have been damaging the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure and, in the process, impacting customers’ network experience.
“In the first half of 2024 alone, there were a total of 5,133 cuts across Ghana, of which the telecommunications industry ended up using GHS118 million to repair these cuts. This means that funds that we could have used to expand and enhance the existing services had to be reallocated to repair these damaged fibre networks,” it lamented.
The importance of fibreÂ
Fibre is a critical resource laid underground or strung above ground to connect to the network operating systems to provide faster data transfers, supporting high bandwidth applications and services. It ensures real-time communication and seamless connectivity. Fibre is known to be very reliable, offering a secure choice for data transmission. It is resistant to spatial interferences and ensures clear transmissions. In many cases, fibre is the most preferred resource for providing seamless telecommunications services and remains an essential component of modern network operations.
Impact on Service Quality and Customer Experience
Although fibre is expected to be secure when buried underground, the experience in Ghana is quite different. There are frequent cuts and damages to fibre laid across the country. These frequent disruptions directly affect the quality and availability of telecom services to Ghanaians, disrupting communication, internet connectivity, and other essential services that rely on our networks. These cuts, sadly, impact customer experiences. It creates congestion, poor voice calls, slow internet experience, and, in some cases, completely cuts off network services. This situation is unacceptable, and it undermines the significant investments made by telecom operators to deliver reliable services.
Ongoing Efforts to Address the Issue
In response to these challenges, the Chamber has been proactively engaging with the Minister of Roads and Highways, road agencies, road contractors, utility companies, and other key stakeholders who undertake major constructions and excavations in the country.
“Our efforts include active participation in the National Engineering Coordinating Team (NECT) meetings, where we continue to push for better collaboration to protect telecom infrastructure during construction and utility activities,” the statement said.
Despite these efforts, some entities involved in these damaging activities have remained recalcitrant, repeatedly causing harm to critical telecom infrastructure. These actions have had a direct impact on service quality, leading to outages, slowdowns, and interruptions that frustrate subscribers and hinder the country’s digital progress.
Taking Stronger Measures
To ensure that Ghanaians continue to receive high-quality service, the Chamber said it is not only ramping up its engagement with the relevant stakeholders but also seeking the support of the Police and Judiciary to prosecute those responsible for these recurrent fibre cuts.
“The Chamber is proposing that its members consider taking legal action against uncooperative individuals and entities, ensuring they are held accountable according to the law,” it said.
Our Commitment to Quality Service
GCT said it remains committed to ensuring that all subscribers enjoy uninterrupted, high-quality telecom services, adding “We will continue to work tirelessly with all stakeholders to protect our nation’s telecom infrastructure and to hold accountable those who undermine it.”
For more information about the “Save Our Fibre” campaign and to stay updated on the latest developments, follow the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications on its social media platforms (X: TelecomsChamber. LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook: Ghana Chamber Of Telecommunications).
