In the first six months of 2022, 2.34 million meters of telecommunications cables were stolen or stolen in Brazil. This amount would be enough to cover twice the distance in a straight line between the cities of Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and Porto Alegre (RS).
These criminal actions left more than 4 million customers without access to telecommunication services and, as a result, deprived of contact with services such as police, fire and medical emergencies.
The volume represents an increase of 28 per cent in relation to the previous semester, when 1.83 million meters were stolen. This rise comes after the sector recorded an 11 per cent drop in the volume of stolen or stolen cables in 2021, compared to 2020.
The value stolen in the first half of this year returns to the level recorded in the first half of 2021, when 2.3 million meters of telecom cables were stolen or stolen.
Theft, robbery, vandalism, as well as the reception of cables and equipment cause direct damage to millions of consumers, who are left without access to important services for people’s daily lives, and to companies, which need to replace this equipment. Criminal actions also compromise public utility services such as police, fire and medical emergencies.
The high recorded in comparison with the volume stolen in the second half of 2021 reinforces the sector’s concern about these criminal actions. São Paulo, Paraná, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro are the states that suffered the most from the problem.
Among the states that most register this type of crime, Espírito Santo was the one that registered the highest increase. The volume of stolen or stolen telecom cables in the state grew 162 per cent compared to the previous semester and compared to the first semester of 2021 more than tripled, registering an increase of 245 per cent.
São Paulo, which continues to be the state that suffers the most from these actions, recorded a 16 per cent increase in the volume of stolen cables compared to the previous semester, but recorded a 21 per cent reduction compared to the first half of 2021.
Paraná recorded an increase of 29 per cent compared to the previous semester and an increase of 113 per cen compared to the first half of 2021. The state of Minas Gerais recorded a high of 74 per cent compared to the second half of 2021.
Rio de Janeiro
Throughout 2021, especially in the second half of the year, the sector intensified its dialogue with federal, state and municipal authorities, especially Rio de Janeiro, to promote actions to combat theft, robbery and vandalism of cables and equipment.
As a result, the state recorded a drop of -52 per cent in 2021 compared to 2020. In the first half of the year, the state fell to fifth position among those most suffering from the problem, and despite having shown a 63 per cent increase compared to second half of 2022 – a fact that deserves attention – in comparison with the first half of 2021 there was a drop of 60 per cent.
Volume of stolen or stolen telecommunications cables
Sao Paulo: 490,761 meters
Paraná: 487,733 meters
Minas Gerais: 317,342 meters
Espírito Santo: 182,063 meters
Rio de Janeiro: 161,751 meters
“The telecommunications sector recognizes the joint effort of state authorities, through the public security secretariats and the police, in the implementation of initiatives to combat theft, robbery and reception of cables and equipment”, said the executive president of Conexis Brasil Digital. , Marcos Ferrari.
“We defend public policies to combat thefts, robberies and reception of cables and equipment and the urgent approval of PL 5846/16, which increases the punishment for these crimes”, added Ferrari.
The sector also defends the punishment of companies that buy stolen or stolen equipment, in addition to changing the rule that penalizes operators when the service is interrupted as a result of crime.
The theft and theft of telecom cables adds to another equally delicate problem, which is the blocking of access for service providers’ teams to maintain their equipment, used to provide the service.
Operators have no access to equipment and are prevented from providing the maintenance necessary for the provision of the service, as well as for the eventual replacement of stolen items. Consumers are held hostage, deprived of services or forced to hire them from illegal companies, controlled by criminals, without any rights, guarantees and subject to abusive prices.
