Kelantan telecoms at risk of major outages as cable vandalism and theft soar, says says regional MCMC official

The alarming rise in vandalism and theft of telecommunications infrastructure in Kelantan is posing significant challenges to communication services and the livelihoods dependent on them.

According to MCMC Eastern Region Office senior director Mohd Fairus Muhamad, such incidents have resulted in substantial financial losses and can severely disrupt both personal and professional activities, especially in areas where infrastructure is shared among multiple service providers.

Efforts to mitigate these issues include enhanced collaboration between MCMC, law enforcement, and industry stakeholders, and initiatives like the "Call Before You Dig" to prevent accidental disruptions.

The public is encouraged to report suspicious activities to help safeguard vital telecommunications infrastructure.

KOTA BHARU, Sept 23 — Vandalism and theft of telecommunications infrastructure in Kelantan have reached an alarming level and could disrupt communication coverage and the livelihoods of people if critical infrastructure is affected.

Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Eastern Region Office senior director Mohd Fairus Muhamad said these incidents have also impacted the telecommunications industry, which bears millions of ringgit in losses for repair and restoration work.

“What is more concerning is that these estimates do not yet take into account the impact of disruptions on businesses and the daily activities of communities that depend on telecommunications services,” he said at the 2026 Kelantan state-level #TelecommunicationsInfrastructureVandalism Prevention Campaign here today.

He said disruptions to communication infrastructure not only affect technical systems but can also disrupt learning, work matters and business transactions, particularly for online entrepreneurs who depend on network stability.

He added that the impact of disruptions can be even greater if damage or theft occurs on infrastructure shared by multiple telecommunications service providers.

“If the infrastructure is shared by all telcos, any act of vandalism can cut off every line, and users, whether on CelcomDigi, Maxis, U Mobile or any other provider, can lose coverage,” he said.

Mohd Fairus said the recovery period also depends on the components stolen or damaged, especially if the equipment must be sourced from the telecommunications company’s headquarters outside Kelantan.

He said MCMC, together with enforcement authorities and industry players, is tightening coordination, including proposing a Telecommunications Infrastructure Vandalism Prevention Sub-Committee involving MCMC, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), local authorities, the Land and District Office and industry players.

Mohd Fairus said he has also asked PDRM to notify MCMC of related operations such as Ops Tembaga so that action can be coordinated, as vandalism cases involve multiple service providers, apart from Telekom Malaysia.

He urged the public to report suspicious activity involving telecommunications infrastructure to MCMC or the police, particularly in areas with high rates of vandalism and theft.

Mohd Fairus also reminded contractors and the public to use the Call Before You Dig initiative to prevent fibre optic cables from being severed by excavation work, which can cause large-scale service disruptions. — Bernama

* Editor’s note: PDRM is the abbreviation in Malay for Polis Diraja Malaysia.

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吉兰丹州电信基础设施遭破坏和盗窃事件的急剧增加，对通信服务以及依赖通信服务的人们的生计构成了重大挑战。

据马来西亚通信与多媒体委员会东部地区办事处高级主任莫哈末·费鲁斯·穆罕默德称，此类事件已造成巨大的经济损失，并可能严重扰乱个人和职业活动，尤其是在多个服务提供商共享基础设施的地区。

为缓解这些问题，相关部门加强了马来西亚通信和多媒体委员会 (MCMC)、执法部门和行业利益相关者之间的合作，并推行了“挖掘前先打电话”等举措，以防止意外中断。

我们鼓励公众举报可疑活动，以帮助保护重要的电信基础设施。

哥打巴鲁，9月23日讯——吉兰丹州电信基础设施遭破坏和盗窃的事件已达到令人担忧的程度，如果关键基础设施受到影响，可能会扰乱通信覆盖范围并影响人们的生计。

马来西亚通讯及多媒体委员会（MCMC）东部地区办事处高级主任莫哈末·费鲁斯·穆罕默德表示，这些事件也对电信行业造成了影响，该行业因维修和恢复工作而损失了数百万令吉。

“更令人担忧的是，这些估计还没有考虑到电信服务中断对依赖电信服务的企业和社区日常活动的影响，”他今天在吉兰丹州2026年电信基础设施破坏预防运动上说。

他表示，通信基础设施中断不仅会影响技术系统，还会扰乱学习、工作和商业交易，特别是对于依赖网络稳定性的在线创业者而言。

他还补充说，如果多个电信服务提供商共享的基础设施遭到损坏或盗窃，那么中断的影响可能会更大。

他说：“如果所有电信公司共享基础设施，任何破坏行为都可能切断所有线路，用户，无论是 CelcomDigi、Maxis、U Mobile 还是其他任何运营商的用户，都可能失去网络覆盖。”

莫哈末·费鲁斯表示，恢复时间还取决于被盗或损坏的部件，特别是如果设备必须从吉兰丹州以外的电信公司总部获取的话。

他表示，马来西亚通信与多媒体委员会（MCMC）正与执法部门和行业参与者加强协调，包括提议成立一个电信基础设施破坏预防小组委员会，成员包括MCMC、马来西亚皇家警察（PDRM）、地方当局、土地和地区办事处以及行业参与者。

莫哈末·费鲁斯表示，他还要求马来西亚皇家警察将“Tembaga行动”等相关行动通知马来西亚通信与多媒体委员会，以便协调行动，因为破坏案件涉及多家服务提供商，而不仅仅是马来西亚电信。

他敦促公众向马来西亚通信与多媒体委员会（MCMC）或警方举报涉及电信基础设施的可疑活动，尤其是在破坏和盗窃案高发的地区。

莫哈末·费鲁斯也提醒承包商和公众，在挖掘作业前务必致电，以防止光纤电缆被挖掘作业切断，从而避免造成大规模服务中断。——马新社

* 编者注：PDRM 是马来语 Polis Diraja Malaysia 的缩写。

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