MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica — The telecoms industry in Jamaica is grappling with an increasing wave of theft and vandalism of critical infrastructure, with serious implications for service delivery. Stephen Murad, the CEO of Digicel Jamaica, is calling for the government to take stronger actions to deter these illegal activities, which have been a persistent issue for more than a decade.
Murad stressed the need for tougher penalties to address the rising number of incidents. He argued that the current legal framework offers little deterrent to criminals, and without stricter penalties, the situation will continue to escalate. “There is no real deterrent unless the penalties are significantly strengthened,” Murad said during a recent meeting with the Infrastructure and Physical Development Committee of the House of Representatives.
The Digicel CEO also highlighted that public education is key to mitigating the issue. “We need to make it clear to the public that there are serious consequences for tampering with telecoms infrastructure. We must also ensure that the authorities take swift action to protect these assets,” he added.
Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Marlene Malahoo Forte, echoed Murad’s concerns, emphasizing the critical importance of telecoms and utility infrastructure. “This infrastructure is the backbone of our digital society, and its security is vital for the nation’s stability,” Malahoo Forte said, underscoring that the Andrew Holness Administration views such infrastructure as essential for national security.
In the wake of these thefts, Murad recounted two particularly damaging incidents where customers in St Ann and Spanish Town, St Catherine, were left without service. One incident involved the draining of fuel from a major telecoms site in St Ann, rendering the site inoperable. “Without fuel, there’s no service. Customers don’t understand the impact and often blame the provider, but this is a nationwide issue,” Murad said. He also recounted an attack where vandals destroyed telecoms equipment, leaving services inoperable for extended periods.
Murad argued that theft and vandalism affect not only Digicel but also other service providers like Flow and Jamaica Public Service, all of which are increasingly vulnerable. “We need a collective effort, both from the public and the government, to address this problem,” he emphasized.
Michael Brown, the technical director at Flow, also shared concerns about the rising trend of solar system thefts, particularly after hurricanes. “We had 46 solar-powered sites post-hurricane, but eight were vandalized, with the panels stolen,” Brown revealed. Despite efforts to secure these sites with additional personnel, the cost of maintaining security has proven prohibitive.
Both Murad and Brown called for more coordinated efforts to protect telecoms infrastructure and ensure that these services can continue to operate without disruption in the face of growing threats.
