Leading telecommunications company, Airtel Malawi on Friday announced the introduction of 460 as the toll-free number for people to use in reporting suspected cases of fiber infrastructure vandalism that brought a connectivity blackout on Wednesday.
Speaking at a Press Conference on Friday in Lilongwe, Airtel Malawi Networks Director, Mphatso Manda, said the damage to the fiber infrastructure doesn’t just impact Airtel, it threatens emergency response systems, disrupts learning, and stalls economic activity.
Manda, therefore, called upon members of the community to be involved by reporting suspicious activity near fiber trenches.
“We’re calling on every citizen to be vigilant and 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. Every dropped call, disrupted mobile money transfer, or offline classroom represents a life interrupted. And this is 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,” Manda said.
Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) Director of Broadcasting, Zadziko Mankhambo, urged Malawians to report these unfortunate acts to bring vandalism on fiber cables to a halt.
Mankhambo said the fiber cable cuts are a disruption to communication and development to the country.
“As MACRA, we sympathize with Airtel on the vandalism happening in the country on their fiber cable. Airtel Malawi has targets for us that they need to get to, and these incidents draw them back. We need to join Airtel in the fight to stop the vice”, he said.
Airtel Malawi’s extensive fiber network spans over 2,000 kilometers across major cities and rural areas, enabling critical services in health, education, banking, and national commerce.
