Mobile users suffer as thieves steal telecom gear

Mobile users suffer as thieves steal telecom gear 

SIGNAL DISRUPTIONS PLAGUE SUBSCRIBERS AS TOWERS TARGETED   165 TIMES IN SIX MONTHS 

Niyati.Parikh@timesofindia.com 09.11.2024 

Ahmedabad : Facing network issues on your mobile? A wave of telecom equipment thefts is to blame. In the past six months, mobile users across Gujarat have been experiencing connectivity issues due to widespread theft of telecom infrastructure. The disappearance of essential components, particularly the Remote Radio Unit (RRU), has resulted in poor or non-existent mobile signals in numerous locations. These recurring incidents of equipment theft have led to frustrating experiences for subscribers. 

Telecom industry sources said 165 instances of telecom equipment theft were reported in Gujarat between April and Oct. This led to the filing of 142 FIRs and financial losses amounting to Rs 4 crore in Gujarat alone. RRUs are a key component in mobile towers that transmit and receive signals, facilitating voice calls and internet connectivity. The sudden removal of an RRU creates instant signal disruptions, affecting thousands of mobile users in the vicinity. Baseband units (BBUs), which support network connectivity, are also being sto len, sources said. Industry sources said that the gangs involved use specialised tools to remove RRUs fixed at heights of up to 40 metres and typically strike at night. “Most are experts in scaling tall structures and always have getaway vehicles ready. As telecom companies, we have set up alarms and heightened security measures to identify and prevent such thefts,” a source told TOI. 

According to telecom industry players, such thefts have been reported in Ahmedabad, Banaskantha, Gandhinagar, Kheda, Kutch, Mehsana, Navsari, Surat, Vadodara, Valsad, Anand, Godhra, Limdi, Nadiad and Sanand, causing significant inconvenience to residents and financial strain for telecom providers. “The theft of RRUs is leading to outages, forcing companies to replace equipment at a high cost,” a telecom industry source said. Compared to the previous six-month period (Oct 2023 to March 2024), when 317 RRUs were stolen, the theft incidents have declined, but the impact on network connectivity remains severe. Industry sources claim that these stolen units often make their way to countries like China and Bangladesh via illicit trade networks, affecting not only local telecommunications services but also the deployment of 5G networks in the country. In the past, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) made a representation to the department of telecommunications (DoT) to take swift action to address this security challenge.