Telecommunication companies are incurring higher costs due to the increasing rate of fibre cuts across the country, the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications has revealed.

According to the Chamber, the number of fibre cuts recorded annually has surged by about 1,900%, rising from roughly 400 cases per year during the early stages of network deployment to more than 8,000 cases currently.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Chamber’s 15th anniversary soft launch, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah, said the financial and operational pressure caused by the frequent fibre cuts is forcing telecom operators to divert resources into repair works instead of network expansion and service improvement.

She attributed the rising exposure of fibre infrastructure partly to the rapid expansion of telecommunications networks over the years. She maintains that fibre cuts remain one of the biggest threats to network stability and service reliability in Ghana.

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

“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,” she remarked.

Consequently, she recommended the strict implementation of the “dig once” policy, which was approved by Ghana’s Cabinet in November 2025 to cut costs, reduce fibre cuts, and speed up broadband rollout.

The “dig once” policy means that whenever new roads are built, fibre‑optic ducts and chambers are installed at the same time, so telecom companies don’t have to dig up the roads later to lay cables.

The Chamber says the policy could help make telecom networks more reliable because operators would be able to run their fibre cables through protected underground pipes, reducing the chances of the cables being damaged or cut.

The industry is also looking to government support to accelerate the implementation of the policy, following indications that discussions on the proposal are already at the cabinet level.

The Chamber continued that resolving the challenge of fibre cuts is expedient in maintaining the country’s network quality and supporting future digital expansion in Ghana’s communications sector.

“This [fibre cuts] has been a plague of the industry for quite a while, and we believe Ghana has matured enough to put a stop to it. That is why, for us, the “dig once” policy needs to come to life this year,” Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah added.

Telcos lost $9.2m to over 5,600 fibre cable cuts in 2024

In 2024, the telcos experienced significant setbacks, with over 5,600 fibre-optic cable cuts reported, costing the sector an estimated US$9.2 million, or over GH¢138 million.

CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, disclosed these troubling figures at the 24th edition of the Chamber’s Knowledge Forum, held in Accra.

During his address, Dr. Ashigbey explained that the damage from these fibre cuts went beyond financial loss.

He pointed out that the repercussions were far-reaching, affecting not only telecommunications companies but also small businesses, banking services, emergency communications, and even the delivery of education.

“This destruction costs the telecom companies, small businesses, banking services, emergency communication, education delivery, among others,” he remarked. The restoration efforts, which lasted over 432 days in total, further compounded the strain on the sector.

He noted that the average cost for each fibre optic cut was approximately US$23,000, underscoring the heavy financial burden on the industry.

Dr. Ashigbey also expressed concern about the repeated nature of the damage. He explained that fibre cuts often occurred at the same locations multiple times, extending the repair period and worsening the disruption of essential services.

Road construction emerged as the primary cause of these fibre optic disruptions, responsible for 20.68 percent of the incidents.

Theft and vandalism, driven by the mistaken belief that copper is embedded in the cables, accounted for 13.98 percent of the damage.

Additionally, activities by private developers, broken ports, drain construction, fires, farming, flooding, and accidental damage by utility companies like Ghana Water and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) also contributed to the widespread fibre cuts.