Leading telecommunications operator, MTN Nigeria, has condemned the rising incidence of vandalisation of telecommunications infrastructure, especially its fibre-optic network, which suffers about 70 times cut monthly.
MTN
also warned of the long-term negative impact on quality of service and national
security if the vandalisation is not curbed.
Corporate
Services Executive at MTN, Mr. Wale Goodluck gave this condemnation in a
statement in Lagos, saying MTN on average suffers more than 70 fibre cuts in
various locations across the country every month.
Elucidating
his position, Mr. Goodluck said about 42 per cent of the cuts are as a result
of poor road construction practices, 25 per cent are traceable to willful
damage perpetrated by criminal elements, while the remaining 33 per cent are
traceable to other causes, including sabotage.
He
maintained that in the past, MTN has lost network availability in over 1000
base stations cumulatively across the network as a result of these cuts.
“This
has affected services predominantly in the South East, particularly, Onitsha
and Port Harcourt, and also other areas such as Kano, Abuja, Kaduna, and
Ibadan, with customers experiencing complete loss of service in some of the
locations, while others experienced severe difficulties in making and receiving
calls in other locations,” said Goodluck.
As
said by him, Goodluck, relevant security agencies and the industry regulator, the
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) are aware of the development and have
been supportive of MTN as the company grapples with the challenge.
He,
therefore appealed to telecom consumers in the country to further assist by
reporting any suspicious activity around telecommunications installations,
which are critical national infrastructure.
“By
so doing, you will play your part in protecting your right to good services and
the full benefits of the ICT revolution,” he urged.
Goodluck reiterated MTN’s commitment to drive the
socio-economic development of Nigeria through the provision of world standard
telecommunications and ICT services.
Remmy Nweke
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
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