Ross Sheil, Staff Reporter

Cable and Wireless fixed- line and Internet customers islandwide have again been experiencing service problems due to increasing theft of the company's above-ground copper and fibre wires.

In some parts of Kingston and St. Andrew, ADSL customers, despite the company having bolstered its network following disruptions caused by overcapacity, have experienced periods of no service for up to two days.

According to Cable and Wireless, the problem has been most acute in the Corporate Area and parts of St. Catherine, including Portmore. In Kingston, a copper cable was cut and removed in three different places, costing $200,000 in each instance, said Courtney Hurlock, Cable and Wireless network engineering and installation manager.

"From the lengths (of the cables being cut) it appears they are often working in teams," added Mr. Hurlock. "We've worked with police but, in most instances, by the time we or the police get there they are long gone."

COPPER THE GOAL

Mr. Hurlock said that, in most cases, people were looking to steal copper which also resulted in the theft of fibre cables which do not contain copper. He said cuts of the fibre-trunking cable, linking stations with the main exchange, have had the most severe effect on service.

Cable and Wireless has previous-ly experienced thefts of its copper wires which can be melted down for other uses but the company claims that the problem has been increasing recently. Mr. Hurlock acknowledged that the incidents were always possible in the telecommunications industry where above-ground cables remain.