Telecom Egypt: Unidentified saboteurs damaging cables since January

Unknown saboteurs have been damaging terrestrial cables for Telecom Egypt (TE) in several areas across Egypt since January, according to documents obtained by Al-Masry Al-Youm.

Senior sources from TE said officials have noticed that the cables are being cut off rather than stolen, which affects the functioning of both landlines and mobile phone lines.

More than 795 cables were torn between January and August, of which 77 percent were sabotaged. The rest were damaged in accidents during road works, the documents said.

Only TE and certain contracting companies have detailed maps for the cables’ routes which extend more than 1.5 meters below the ground.