VietNamNet Bridge – Telecom groups recently have repeatedly complained that their telecom cables have been cut by rivals.

Cutting telecom cables in Vietnam is a serious crime which is subject to the criminal prosecution. However, the cable cutting has become so popular in recent months.

A senior executive of FPT Telecom complained at a meeting between telcos and the Ministry of Information and Communication in early November, that the company is the victim of a lot of nasty tricks.

Every time when it sets foot on a new land, it sees the telecom cables cut, which causes service interruption. The executive said that the cable cutting has become the biggest headache to the company.

According to FPT Telecom, in October 2013, the 10 kilometer newly set up cable system in Yen Phong Industrial Zone in Bac Ninh province which aimed to provide services to Flexcom Vina Company, was repeatedly cut.

At 9 am on October 16, FPT Telecom discovered that the cable was cut. At 1 pm on the same day, the company discovered another cut, about 1.3 kilometers away. On October 23, another cut was also found.

Also according to the executive, FPT Telecom once leased the VNPT’s cable to provide services to the clients in Bac Ninh province. However, VNPT unilaterally broke the leasing contract, saying that it was preparing to upgrade the infrastructure system in the region.

Therefore, FPT Telecom decided to install a new cable system of its own in Yen Phong Industrial Zone. But the cable was repeatedly cut in the last three weeks of November.

“The criminals were very professional. It was very difficult to find out the cuts,” the executive said.

As the police are still investigating to find the criminals, it’s too early to conclude that the cable cut was made by the competitors. However, the executive said he does not think the criminals were the people who tried to steal cable for sale for money.

FPT Telecom not only meets problems in Bac Ninh province, but in Lang Song, Lao Cai and Bac Lieu as well, i.e. every locality it goes to.

Unhealthy competition?

In late August 2013, the cable of FPT Telecom in the HCM City Hi-tech Zone was cut. Four days later, FPT’s patrolmen caught CMC Technology Group’s workers cutting the cable.

Le Bich Loan, Deputy Head of the Management Board of the HCM City Hi-tech Zone, when talking with the press, said both FPT and CMC made mistakes. The former spontaneously hang cable without license, while CMC cut the cable without explanation.

According to the management board, CMC had been chosen as the company to implement the project on putting cable underground.

At first, CMC allowed other telecom groups to use the cable free of charge, but it has collected fee since early 2013. While VNPT and Viettel have agreed to lease the underground cable system, FPT Telecom still has not reached an agreement with CMC on the lease.

Not only FPT Telecom, other telcos have also complained that their cable systems are cut regularly.

In August 2013, CMC Telecom, after receiving the complaints from clients about the connection interruption, discovered that its cable was cut. VTVcab, belonging to the Vietnam National Television, in July and August 2013 also found a lot of cuts in Hanoi.

A client of VTVcab said he received a call from a man who persuaded him to stop using VTVcab service and use the TV cable service of another television.

Kim Chi