adminTanaka Mahanya
TELONE says its business is under threat due to network theft and vandalism, especially when it comes to the copper network.
It cost the firm at least US$500 000.
There have been 402 vandalism incidents.
This was revealed by TelOne head of corporate communications, Melody Harry.
“The business is also under threat due to network theft and vandalism, especially on the copper network, with at least US$510,000 being recorded in lost revenue and network elements for the period ended 31 December 2022.
“These losses stemmed from 402 network vandalism incidents being recorded during the year translating to a 20.7 percent increase compared to prior year.
“A total of 51 500 clients were affected by vandalism-induced downtime in 2022, amounting to a 30 percent increase from 39 965 clients that were affected in 2021.”
She said funding options continue to be pursued.
“Resultantly, the need to replace the copper network with optic fibre and wireless solutions has become more urgent as these solutions are not only less susceptible to vandalism but also significantly improve the quality of experience.
“To this end, funding options continue to be pursued for the phased replacement of the copper network.
“TelOne has taken a responsible corporate citizen approach where matters around people, profit and planet are given equal importance guided by the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework.”
She said, despite the challenges in the environment, which are threatening the business viability, TelOne managed to post an inflation adjusted operating profit of $7.1 billion up from the $4.3 billion achieved in the previous year.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter