The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications has raised alarm over a sharp rise in fibre optic cable cuts nationwide, warning that the trend is placing growing financial and operational strain on network operators.

Chief Executive Officer Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah said the industry is now recording more than 8,000 fibre cuts annually — a steep increase from about 400 cases per year during the early stages of network deployment.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Chamber’s 15th anniversary soft launch, Owusu-Ankomah said the growing frequency of fibre cuts is forcing telecom companies to divert resources from network expansion and service improvements into repair and maintenance.

“We are experiencing over 8,000 cuts per annum… resources that could have been used to ensure new rollouts are instead used to meet quality obligations by repairing those fibre cuts,” she said.

She warned that the situation poses a major threat to network stability and service reliability, with implications for both consumers and businesses increasingly dependent on digital connectivity.

The Chamber attributed the rising exposure of fibre infrastructure partly to the rapid expansion of telecommunications networks, which has driven internet penetration in Ghana from about 4 percent to over 70 percent.

While this growth has significantly improved digital access, it has also left critical infrastructure more vulnerable to accidental damage — particularly during road construction and other civil works.

To address the challenge, the Chamber is advocating for the implementation of a “dig once” policy, which would require the installation of fibre ducts during major road construction projects.

The policy aims to create protected underground pathways for fibre cables, reducing the risk of damage and improving long-term network resilience.

According to the Chamber, discussions on the proposal have already reached Cabinet level, and government support will be crucial to accelerating its implementation.

Owusu-Ankomah said resolving the fibre cut problem is critical to sustaining network quality and supporting Ghana’s future digital growth.

“This has been a plague of the industry for quite a while… we believe Ghana has matured enough to put a stop to it. That is why the ‘dig once’ policy needs to come to life this year,” she added.

The Chamber maintains that without decisive intervention, persistent fibre cuts could continue to undermine service delivery and slow the pace of digital transformation across the country.