Empty Pole Syndrome

We live in exciting times in South Africa.  A copper mine has opened in the Underberg district.  Two weeks ago a few kilometres of telephone cable was stolen from the district leaving several subscribers without a telephone service.

There are some scrap dealers who will buy and sell anything to make a buck.  They are receiving stolen Telkom property without so much as a "Where did this come from?"  The perpetrators come into the district in the dead of night and cut the cables.  They use a form of cable stripper to slice the cable sheath along it's length and then pull the copper conductors out.  The conductors are then put into a fire which burns off the plastic insulation.  The burned copper is then taken to their "Honest" scrap dealer who then sells it on  for reprocessing.

Just imagine, the wiring in your car may have hung from telephone poles outside your house!

Well I have got myself set up on Skype with an account and an international telephone number.  We are all going to need some sort of backup for our comms.  I have been trying to organise a radio telephone link system  for the farmers in the district but have been informed that I would never get licensed by ICASA.  So what are Telkom going to do about this theft?  Nothing!  Subscribers are being told that their telephone service is discontinued as the wires have been stolen and they can apply for the 8TA Telkom cellular service!  What a wonderful service provider.  Of course there is a satellite telephone service but do you really want to pay R10 000-00 or so for installation and then R300-00 per month before you make calls?  Nah!  I'll go with Skype or, if I can, set up a VOIP telephone service here for the local community (I have the software already and just need ADSL, which I know I won't get on the farm.)

Viva free enterprise!  Snatch a kilo of copper today!