Globe sees 60% decline in cable theft 

GLOBE TELECOM, Inc. saw a 60.2% decline in cable theft to 746 incidents in the first five months of the year from 1,876 in the same period last year.

“This is due to the reduction in existing copper cable lines as part of Globe’s transition to fiber, and the bundling of cables that makes it more difficult to cut. Copper is the type of cable often stolen and sold to junk shops at around P470 per kilo,” Globe said in a press release on Wednesday.

With the number of deliberate cable cuts, the mobile network operator said that 1,600 customers experienced connectivity issues.

“While the reported cases may have decreased, we believe one incident is one too many,” said Raymond Policarpio, vice-president of Globe At Home broadband business.

“Cable theft causes unnecessary inconvenience for our customers,” he said, adding that it is Globe’s customers who ultimately suffer.

To address cable theft, the operator said it had partnered with law enforcement agencies and local government units while allocating P1.4 million to reimburse subscribers affected by outages.

In August 2022, the company allied with “Oplan Kontra Putol” together with other cable and telecom providers to raise public awareness about illegal cable cutting.

It also has a campaign against cable theft through Bantay Kable Program with the Philippine National Police and local government units.

Globe is planning to continuously expand its fiber deployment and migrate from fixed wireless and legacy technology.

Last year, the company installed 1.4 million fiber-to-the-home lines, which it said guarantees access to high-speed and reliable internet while simultaneously mitigating the impact of cable theft.

“Aside from reducing its copper cable footprint, Globe is introducing fiber cable labeling to deter thieves. It is also undertaking vertical clearance correction and tree-trimming initiatives to limit easy access to aerial cables,” it said.

“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,” said Mr. Policarpio. — Justine Irish D. Tabile