Airtel contends that vandalism of its infrastructure ‘is no longer just a telecommunications problem; it’s a national security concern’

* A toll-free hotline 460 for anonymous reporting and is exploring additional community outreach efforts to raise awareness

* Airtel pledges to reward any credible leads that can help identify perpetrators of its infrastructure vandalism in order to bring them to book

By Duncan Mlanjira

Over the past few months, Airtel Malawi Plc has experienced a concerning increase in coordinated vandalism incidents targeting its underground and overhead fiber cables, a vital backbone supporting voice, data, and digital services for millions of Malawians.

The leading mobile telecommunications network, this contends that this increase in vandalism of its infrastructure “is no longer just a telecommunications problem; it’s a national security concern”.

This was said today Airtel when the company addressed the growing challenge of fiber infrastructure vandalism, which continues to disrupt essential communication services across the country.

Under the theme; ‘Protecting Malawi’s digital lifeline: Airtel calls for urgent action on fiber cuts’, Airtel Malawi Networks Director, Mphatso Manda emphasised both the technical resilience of the network and the deliberate nature of recent attacks.

“Our fiber infrastructure is built with industry-leading resilience using a mesh design and multiple protection paths to ensure continuity,” he said.

“However, the level of coordinated vandalism we are seeing is unprecedented. In some cases, while our teams are repairing one section, another cut is reported elsewhere, pointing to calculated and deliberate sabotage.

“This is no longer just a telecommunications problem — it’s a national security concern.”

At the event, Airtel Malawi unveiled that its extensive fiber network spans over 2,000kms across major cities and rural areas, “enabling critical services in health, education, banking, and national commerce”.

“Damage to this infrastructure doesn’t just impact Airtel, it threatens emergency response systems, disrupts learning, and stalls economic activity,” said Manda.  “Connectivity isn’t just about technology, it’s about people.

“Every dropped call, disrupted mobile money transfer, or offline classroom represents a life interrupted. And it’s why Airtel Malawi is working hand in hand with authorities to stop the attacks.

“But lasting protection starts with all of us. We need the eyes, ears, and voices of Malawians everywhere to defend what keeps us connected.

“We’re calling on every citizen to be vigilant. Report any suspicious activity near fiber lines — whether someone is digging where they shouldn’t, tampering with poles, or lurking around technical sites. Your tip-off could prevent the next outage,” encouraged Manda to the public.

Meanwhile, the company has set up a toll-free hotline 460 for anonymous reporting and is exploring additional community outreach efforts to raise awareness.

Just two days ago, Airtel pledged to reward any credible leads that can help identify perpetrators of its infrastructure vandalism in order to bring them to book.

A public statement that was issued yesterday depicted an image of a local fibre cable line that had been dug up and cut away by unscrupulous vandals that led to internet network disruption, Airtel maintained that “this is not an isolated incident — we suffer multiple fibre cuts every month and what’s alarming is that these deliberate attacks are happening mostly on Airtel’s network”.

“These acts are not just attacks on Airtel, they are attacks on all of us — on students trying to study online; on families staying connected; on business trying to grow; and on customers trying to live their digital lives.

“We are actively working with authorities to track down those responsible but we cannot fight this battle alone. Let’s stand together to protect the lifeline that connects us all.

“It’s your network, your Airtel, your Faya — let’s keeping it burning, let’s keep it safe,”implores Airtel Malawi, while assuring that it “reaffirms its commitment to restoring services as quickly as possible during outages, with highly skilled teams working around the clock”.

“Despite the recent setbacks, the company remains resolute in its mission to keep Malawi connected.”

Present at the event was Zadziko Mankhambo, Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) Director of broadcasting, who emphasised the importance of public awareness “to understand the impact of having good internet connectivity as currently internet penetration stands at 35%.”

Mankhambo underscored the need for collaborative efforts and digital literacy to ensure the success of Malawi’s digital transformation agenda.