Cable vandals cripple phone services
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By FREDRICK OBURA Government is exploring stiffer ways of dealing with cable vandalism that has of late invaded the data Industry. Service providers are waking up to a new form of vandalism targeted at the fibre optic cable networks, threatening steady provision of data services. Information and Communication Permanent Secretary, Bitange Ndemo, said the current competition witnessed in the industry is unhealthy and retrogressive, and could erode gains the sector has made. "We have launched a thorough investigation into the matter, and those found guilty are likely to face consequences not limited to a minimum of a 5-year jail term," Ndemo said Tuesday, when he opened an ICT conference. Previously, infrastructure operated by Telkom Kenya and Kenya Power and Lighting Company have been targeted by vandals going for copper wire, which has high demand. Industrial sabotage The past two months have, however, seen service providers point fingers at each other, saying vandalism on the fibre cable is a form of industrial sabotage, since the actual fibre cable does not have a resale value. The latest victim has been Safaricom, Kenya’s largest mobile phone network. Subscribers had to endure over four hours without communication on Monday, following what the operator called ‘suspected acts of sabotage’ by competitors. The disruption affected voice services and consequently, most calls were not terminating as required. The outage also affected the firm’s suite of data services, including Internet access.