Globe Telecom Inc. on Wednesday reported customers rudely interrupted by 746 incidents of cable theft in the first five months of the year, leaving an estimated irate 1,600 customers complaining.
According to Globe, last year’s five-month tally totaled 1,876 but the full year aggregate hit 3,598.
Globe said this was due to the reduction in the use of copper cable lines as part of Globe’s transition to fiber, and the bundling of the cables to make it more difficult to cut. Copper is the type of cable often stolen and sold to junk shops at around P470 per kilo.
“While the reported cases may have decreased, we believe one incident is one too many because ultimately, it’s our customers who suffer. Cable theft causes unnecessary inconvenience for our customers,” Raymond Policarpio, vice president of Globe At Home Broadband Business, said.
The telco continues to vigorously campaign against cable theft, partnering with law enforcement agencies and local government units to address the problem. Globe also allocated P1.4 million to reimburse subscribers affected by outages caused by thieves.
“As we continue to work closely with law enforcers and local government units to stop these thieves, we urge our customers to be vigilant and immediately report cable theft incidents via Globe Security hotlines and bantaykable@globe.com.ph,” Policarpio said.
Globe has undertaken several measures to improve connectivity services and address cable theft. It continues to expand its fiber deployment and migrate its customers from fixed wireless and legacy technology since last year.
In 2022, Globe installed 1.4 million fiber-to-the-home lines, with the rollout continuing vigorously this year. This guaranteed access to high-speed, reliable internet while mitigating the impact of pervasive cable theft.
Aside from reducing its copper cable footprint, Globe introduced fiber cable labeling to deter thieves. It is also undertaking vertical clearance correction and tree-trimming initiatives to limit easy access to aerial cables.
Globe also calls for support from various local chief executives to strengthen existing legislation to prevent unnecessary telco service disruptions due to intentional wire cutting and theft.
