Telecommunication networking was initially launched in Ghana under the Ghana Posts and Telecommunications Company (GPTC), following the country’s independence.
In the mid-1990s, the government launched the Accelerated Development Programme (ADP2000), which facilitated the restructuring and liberalisation of the telecom sector.
This initiative resulted in the formation of Ghana Telecom, which succeeded GPTC. Mobitel (Tigo) was the first mobile service launched in 1992 with 19,000 users that year. By 2001, mobile communication began experiencing rapid growth in the country.
As the subscriber base of these telecom companies grew, a fibre optic network backbone was required to support their services.
The Southern Triangle Fibre Project, completed in 2008 to address this need, connected networks in Accra, Kumasi, and Cape Coast. The Eastern Corridor Fibre Optic Backbone Project, launched in 2015, linked Ho to Bawku while connecting several cities along the route.
A similar project was launched in 2018 for the Western Region, connecting Takoradi to Bibiani through Enchi and many major towns.
In between these major government-backed projects, the private sector, particularly the major telcos, never stopped expanding their own fibre optic footprints within all the major cities. The total fibre network in Ghana is currently over 30,000km.
Fibre
Although fibre optic cables provide a reliable means of signal transmission, they are made of glass and can easily break upon impact, leading to significant service disruptions across the country.
Fibre cables are buried along roadways or hung on poles from one point to another.
Along every road, there is a designated utility corridor within which all service lines are to be installed.
The water, electricity, wastewater, runoff and internet cables to our homes all need to be carefully engineered to reduce the risk of damage.
Unfortunately, the utility corridor is not properly regulated in Ghana, and this causes damage to many utility lines, including fibre cables.
Generally, a three-metre space from the edge of roads in urban areas is designated as a utility corridor, within which no structures are permitted without authorisation from the Department of Urban Roads (DUR).
However, it is not uncommon to see various types of structures being erected within this reserved space. The biggest culprits are homeowners who build their walls right on the edge of the road, leaving no space for utilities.
Along highways, the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA) reserves 35 metres from the centre of every road in both directions — a total of 70 metres — for roads and utilities.
However, travelling across the country reveals that this reserved space is being encroached upon with impunity.
Due to the limited right-of-way available along roads, conflicts between different utility installations are very common.
So often, fibre cables are installed on waterlines and on underground electric power cables.
During the fibre installation process, existing utility lines are damaged, and the cost of repair becomes the contractor’s burden. Besides cost, service disruptions to the affected community are also a major concern.
Appeals
Telecommunications companies, through Telecom Chambers, have made several appeals to DUR and GHA to bring an end to this encroachment, but all efforts have been futile.
As a result of the many unauthorised activities within the utility corridors, fibre cuts are very frequent, with some telcos recording over 2500 fibre cuts in a year.
The average downtime for each cut is four hours, and it costs nearly two thousand dollars to fix a cut.
The cos t of this repair is borne by consumers who already complain about the high cost of data and other services.
The downtime experienced from these fibre cuts is also very inconvenient for individuals and businesses that rely on stable mobile and internet connectivity to thrive.
Urgent action is required by lawmakers.
The enforcement of a bill that punishes encroachers will greatly deter offenders, regulate usage of the utility corridor, and reduce the frequency of fibre cuts.
In turn, internet service providers will also see a reduction in operational expenditure, and customers may not have to pay so much to use the services provided.
The writer is a telecoms consultant.
E-mail: selgabla@gmail.com
