MTN Ghana Chief Executive Officer Stephen Blewett has put a specific number on the scale of disruption caused by persistent fibre cuts, disclosing that approximately 157 network sites have been recently impacted by fibre damage, as the company continues to grapple with what it considers its single most serious operational challenge.
Blewett made the disclosure at the CEO’s Corner session of the MTN Ghana Accra Media and Stakeholder Forum held on Friday, where he described the cascading nature of fibre damage to a network as interconnected as MTN’s. He explained that a single cut does not affect just one location but can simultaneously knock out multiple sites, amplifying the impact on customers far beyond the point of damage.
“When fibre is cut, it can bring down several sites at once, which creates a much bigger problem,” he said, adding that the resulting outages translate directly into a poor experience for subscribers who depend on MTN’s network for voice, data and mobile financial services.
The 157-site figure underscores the cumulative effect of ongoing incidents across the country. Between 70 and 80 percent of MTN Ghana’s recent network challenges have stemmed from fibre cuts, primarily caused by road contractors and property developers whose construction equipment negligently damages critical infrastructure despite repeated engagements with the relevant associations. The company has previously disclosed that it spends an average of GH₵20 million annually on fibre relocation alone, separate from the cost of replacing damaged lines.
Blewett called for stronger preventive strategies and broader collaboration to safeguard telecommunications infrastructure, warning that unless urgent action is taken, the problem will continue to undermine the stability and reliability of service delivery across the country. He framed the protection of fibre networks not just as a commercial concern for MTN but as a matter of national interest, given that disruptions affect households, businesses, emergency services and the broader digital economy.
The comments come at a moment when MTN is aggressively expanding its physical footprint in Ghana. The company has committed more than US$300 million in capital expenditure for 2026 and plans to deploy at least 500 new network sites by year end, a tenfold acceleration from the 50 sites built in 2025. The scale of that investment makes the protection of existing infrastructure even more critical, since new sites connected by fibre that is subsequently cut would immediately degrade the quality of service the expansion is designed to deliver.
The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications has previously documented thousands of fibre optic cable interruptions annually, with road construction, theft and vandalism, and private developer activity accounting for the largest share of incidents.
