The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has decried the alarming rate of vandalism and theft of telecommunications infrastructure across the country, reports ITREALMS.
ALTON noted that the affected infrastructure primarily belongs to its members, as well as other network operators and those who depend on them for connectivity.
"Critical components such as power cables, rectifiers, fiber optic cables, diesel generators, batteries, and solar systems are vandalized and stolen from active sites," ALTON lamented.
These acts of sabotage, the group said, have led to prolonged downtimes, network congestion, widespread blackouts, and degradation of service quality.
ALTON is alarmed at the frequency, intensity, and geographical spread of these incidents, with states such as Delta, Rivers, Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Lagos, Kogi, FCT, Kaduna, Niger, Osun, Kwara, and Abuja recording the highest number of attacks on telecom infrastructure.
The public must be reminded that telecommunications infrastructure is classified as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) under the National Security framework, and vandalism is considered a serious criminal offense with grave consequences.
ALTON, therefore, urged the public to recognize the severity of these incidents and the impact on the digital economy, security systems, and national communications grid.
The association is working tirelessly to improve the quality of service nationwide and cannot afford these setbacks.
With the rising market for stolen telecom equipment, ALTON is calling for urgent action to prevent the collapse of the telecommunications industry.
Remmy NWEKE
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