Rising Fibre Cuts Threaten Ghana’s Digital Expansion - Telecom Chamber

WRITTEN BY JOSHUA NARH 

The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications has raised alarm over the sharp rise in fibre optic cable cuts across the country, warning that the growing problem is placing enormous pressure on telecom operators and threatening Ghana’s digital infrastructure expansion.

According to the Chamber, annual fibre cuts have increased significantly from about 400 incidents during the early years of telecom network deployment to more than 8,000 cases each year.

Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah, disclosed this while speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Chamber’s 15th anniversary soft launch in Accra. 

She described the situation as a major strain on the telecommunications sector, noting that telecom companies are increasingly diverting funds meant for network expansion and service improvement into repairing damaged fibre infrastructure.

“We are experiencing over 8,000 cuts per annum when it comes to fibre cuts, which is increasingly a strain on our operators’ resources,” Mrs Owusu-Ankomah said.

“Resources and investment that could have been used to ensure new rollouts, you find them using it to ensure they are meeting their quality obligations by repairing those fibre cuts,” she added. 

The Chamber attributed the growing vulnerability of fibre infrastructure partly to Ghana’s rapid digital expansion over the past 15 years, which has seen internet penetration rise from about four percent to more than 70 percent nationwide. 

However, the expansion has also exposed thousands of kilometres of fibre cables to destruction caused by road construction activities, excavation works and illegal mining operations.

Mrs Owusu-Ankomah described fibre cuts as “a plague of the industry,” warning that the recurring incidents continue to undermine network stability and service reliability across the country. 

To address the challenge, the Chamber is pushing for the implementation of the proposed Dig Once policy, which would require contractors to include fibre duct infrastructure in major road construction projects.

The policy is expected to allow telecom operators to deploy fibre cables through protected underground ducts without repeatedly excavating roads. Industry players believe the move could significantly improve network resilience while reducing operational costs.

“So we want to make sure that the 15-year journey counts for something, and so one of the key milestones, as I said, we want to stop the conversation around fibre cuts and get more progressive as a country,” Mrs Owusu-Ankomah stated.