Gov’t moves to tackle persistent fibre cuts affecting network quality-Sam George

The government is taking steps to address persistent fibre cuts across the country, which Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister, Samuel Nartey George, says are contributing significantly to poor network quality and service disruptions.

Speaking during the Government Accountability Series, the Minister said thousands of fibre cuts are recorded annually, costing telecommunications operators millions of dollars in repairs and depriving Ghanaians of reliable digital services.

According to him, Ghana recorded about 3,900 fibre cuts in 2021, more than 10,000 in 2022, over 6,000 in 2023, about 5,600 in 2024 and more than 8,000 in 2025.

He disclosed that by the end of June 2026, the country had already recorded nearly 4,300 fibre cuts, putting the annual figure on course to approach 9,000 if the current trend continues.

Mr George said the financial cost of repairing damaged fibre infrastructure was also substantial, with the telecommunications industry spending more than US$20 million this year alone on fibre-cut repairs.

He explained that the money being spent on repairs could otherwise have been invested in expanding network coverage and improving capacity.

The Minister identified road construction as the biggest source of fibre cuts, accounting for about 49 percent of incidents.

He said activities associated with the government’s road infrastructure programme frequently result in fibre lines being damaged during excavation and other construction works.

“Road construction is accounting for 49 percent, almost half of all fibre cuts,” Mr George said.

He cited incidents along the Winneba-Mankessim road where a fibre cut resulted in a 17-hour service outage, affecting data connectivity from Winneba through to Cape Coast.

He also mentioned another incident that resulted in a 19-hour outage, explaining that such disruptions are often mistaken by subscribers as failures by telecommunications companies when the actual cause is damage to underlying fibre infrastructure.

The Minister further attributed about 25 percent of fibre cuts to illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey, while private and estate development activities account for approximately 26 percent.

He said the government is therefore establishing a coordination framework that will require road agencies and contractors to engage telecommunications operators before excavation works begin.

The National Communications Authority (NCA), he said, is leading the framework in collaboration with relevant road agencies to ensure that contractors are informed about the location of fibre infrastructure before construction starts.

Mr George explained that the government could not simply publish the entire national fibre network layout because the infrastructure is considered a national security asset.

Instead, the proposed system would provide contractors with designated points of contact through which they can obtain information about fibre infrastructure in areas where construction is planned.

The Minister also disclosed that Cabinet is expected to consider a proposed “Dig Once” policy, which would require road construction projects to make provision for dedicated fibre chambers alongside roads.

According to him, the policy would help prevent fibre infrastructure from being repeatedly damaged and scattered during road works while creating a more organised network for future expansion.

“We are looking at a policy that allows for all road construction work to carry a fibre chamber alongside, so that our fibre is not scattered all over,” he said.

Mr George said the government is also considering enforceable penalties for contractors and other entities that fail to comply with the new coordination requirements.

He noted that protecting fibre infrastructure is critical to Ghana’s digital transformation because network connectivity increasingly supports mobile money, digital banking, e-commerce, education, healthcare and other essential services.

The Minister also pointed to power supply challenges as another major factor affecting network reliability, particularly when disruptions to the national grid force telecommunications sites to rely on backup generators or batteries.

He said the recent Accra floods also affected network infrastructure after some generators were submerged, making it difficult for affected cell sites to remain operational.

Mr George stressed that the government’s response would not focus solely on constructing more cell sites but would also address the underlying infrastructure supporting the network.

He said the ministry is working with relevant agencies and telecommunications operators to upgrade ageing 2G and 3G infrastructure in rural areas to 4G and 5G-capable systems, supported by improved fibre and microwave backhaul.

He further disclosed that the NCA is updating its quality-of-service guidelines to properly classify outages caused by third-party damage, while ensuring that operators remain accountable where they genuinely fail to meet required service standards.

The Minister said the government will also introduce a framework for customer remediation and sanctions where operators fall short of quality-of-service obligations.

Mr George said the government remains committed to building a connected and resilient Ghana, insisting that the persistent network challenges must be addressed alongside efforts to expand digital access.

He said the ministry would continue engaging road agencies, telecom operators and other stakeholders to protect critical digital infrastructure and ensure that Ghanaians receive more reliable connectivity.