Cable theft disrupts telecom services across LatAm

Theft of copper cables remains a critical issue for Latin America’s energy and telecommunications sectors and has been especially problematic during the pandemic, when networks became indispensable for telework and study.

In Costa Rica, state power utility ICE, which also provides telecom services, has seen losses related to cable theft amount to 1.29bn colones (US$222mn) in the first six months of the year.

In that context, 400 legal suits have been filed, 37 of which during July, said ICE.

The largest theft to date was recorded in July 27, when three sacks containing 300m of burned cable (to remove coating) were seized. ICE has also recorded vandalism on fiber optics networks.

In Argentina, around 100 people were recently spotted in broad daylight digging and stealing underground copper cables on the outskirts of Mar del Plata. The case left around 400 people in the region without internet service.

The cables belonged to Telefónica de Argentina, which asked federal justice to step in to curb the practice.

"At a time when connectivity is essential for all Argentines, 420 of the company's customers are without landline and internet as a result of the crime," the company was quoted by daily Clarín.

In Chile, Movistar reported that the theft of internet and telephone cables grew 140% in the first three months of the year, compared to the same period in 2019.

According to the operator, the most affected localities were Calama, Concepción, Rancagua, and the districts of Quilicura and Maipú in Santiago.

Theft of copper cables is also common in Brazil.

According to Telcomp, an association that represents mostly small operators in the country, vandalism and theft of telecommunications wire cables intensified during the period of social isolation.

Aerial networks attached to utility poles are the most frequent targets, but the entity said that theft of cables in underground networks is becoming increasingly common.

“The question that remains is: ‘who feeds this market by generating demand and fueling crime?,’” the association wrote in June.