Cable Theft? It’s Someone Else’s Problem

Picking up the paper or reading online news can make for a rather depressing day in many instances. One of the main issues that keeps raising its ugly head is that of cable theft. While the theft and vandalism itself are enough to make any sane person hopping mad, it’s the fall-out that really upsets us. Hours, days or weeks with no electricity, phones or internet can take a business and cruelly erode its profits.

One of the biggest problems that South Africa faces in the battle against cable theft is that it’s been incredibly difficult to find and prosecute both the thieves themselves and the scrap metal dealers who sell on or export the copper. Many of the thieves are petty criminals who have found an easy supply and a willing customer for copper cable and can make a day’s wage in a couple of hours. However, it is the syndicates that pose a real threat and are brazen and well-organised that do the most damage.

Sadly, this is one problem that the average South African can do nothing about, besides passing on any information that they may have to the authorities. Most of us just end up sitting in the dark and eating cold food by candlelight.

The Impact of Cable Theft on Business

Load shedding – don’t you despise that word? Yes, it served a purpose and we could plan our lives around it, but it was a real nuisance. Many businesses and private homes made the decision to invest in a generator to carry them through these dark times, which basically kept the lights on and allowed for a degree of productivity.

But what about phones and internet connectivity? There’s no doubt that the backbone of a business is its telecoms, and if a customer can’t get hold of you – for whatever reason – he’s likely to go somewhere else. Sad, but true.

We simply cannot afford to have days or weeks of downtime while someone “investigates the problem.”

What is the solution?

Fibre is Your Friend

Fibre is a very real and practical solution for companies who are looking to side-step the cable theft drama. Fibre optic lines are all but useless to thieves – thankfully!

Fibre may not be available everywhere, but there is a huge drive to roll it out as fast and as far as possible. Most key business areas enjoy fibre, with its tentacles spreading rapidly into residential areas. For small home businesses, this is welcome news and offers a fast and reliable service to build your company.

We Like LTE

LTE offers a great opportunity for businesses and homes who aren’t yet in the fibre family. An LTE connection is essentially a fast, mobile connection that is impervious to weather or cable theft. While the data may be a little costlier than a standard landline or a fibre line, it is a dependable method of keeping you connected.

Both an LTE and a fibre connection provide you with all-important internet access, but what about your phone lines?

That’s where consumers really see the benefits of ditching the copper cable! An IP telephone or a fixed GSM phone piggybacks off your solid and reliable internet connection and results in your customers having access to you 24/7.

The Huge team have been “investigating this problem” of yoyo telecoms and have developed some practical and cost-effective solutions – especially for the small businesses propping up South Africa’s economy. These are based on future-proof technology that can scale as you do, keeping your telecom lights flashing and your business functioning.

We’d love to take you into the future with us and ensure that cable theft is not your problem. Call us, let’s connect!