Criminal gangs are attacking cellphone towers in South Africa

Due to the risk of being targeted by thieves, South Africa’s mobile carriers are hesitant to identify the providers and brands of the batteries they employ to keep their networks operational during load-shedding.

High-capacity batteries are sought after by criminal syndicates because they may command high prices on the illicit market.

MyBroadband inquired about the batteries used by Vodacom, MTN, and Telkom to keep their networks operational during power outages.

Only Telkom, however, was ready to provide information about its suppliers. It also emphasised the danger of being targeted by crooks.

“We are not in a position to share specific battery brands as we would not want to be targeted by criminals,” it said.

“However, we source our batteries from suppliers such as Huawei, ZTE, Dartcom, and SGT Grintek.”

A Vodacom spokeswoman informed MyBroadband that its towers are powered by a combination of lithium-ion, lead-acid, and sodium-ion batteries. Yet, they stated that they were unable to reveal supplier names.

IHS Towers, which operates MTN’s network infrastructure, stated that it does not disclose supplier information on any of its facilities.

The installation of backup batteries and generators in cellular network towers is expensive for mobile carriers.

Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub told MyBroadband in May 2022 that the business spends R1 billion per year on batteries alone.

He stated that Vodacom is trying to guarantee that all 15,000 towers have enough backup batteries to keep the network operational during load-shedding.

“Creating resilience is the single biggest issue that we have today in terms of South Africa’s network performance,” Joosub stated.

“We are constantly having to improve the standby time. First, it was four hours, then it became six hours, then eight hours.”

MTN’s quarterly trading statement for the three months ending September 2022, issued in November 2022, stated that Eskom’s power outages had adversely impacted its financial performance.

The mobile operator recorded R10.15 billion in service revenue, which was only marginally higher than the R9.93 billion reported in the third quarter of 2021.

MTN attributed the somewhat flat rise in service revenue to market constraints and load-shedding.

“This result was delivered against high inflation, rising interest rates, unemployment and unprecedented load-shedding, which negatively impacted the overall network availability and some business functions,” it said.

Theft and vandalism are severe issues

Battery theft at Vodacom, MTN, and Telkom towers is a big concern, all three companies informed MyBroadband.

MTN’s corporate affairs head Jacqui O’Sullivan told MyBroadband in April 2022 that security initiatives by the operator had averted the theft of 2,174 batteries between January and March 2022.

Nevertheless, these treatments came at a high cost.

“Some of [the] actions taken include beefing up security significantly. Measures include hiring the private security company Bidvest, installing CCTV, cementing/hardening our battery storage and introducing cement and heavy steel safehouse carriages,” O’Sullivan said.

According to Vodacom spokesperson Byron Kennedy, the business has increased security measures to prevent theft and apprehend perpetrators.

Among the security measures are:

• Applying a combination of epoxy and glass around a battery’s housing to prevent criminals from cutting through the battery housing with tools such as grinders
• Cementing the batteries in vaults and installing concrete cubes to house its batteries
• Replacing lead batteries with lithium-ion batteries
• Using the latest security technology to beef up security at its sites
• In far-flung areas of our country, partnering with local community members and SAPS to secure sites
• Working closely with law enforcement agencies and security companies to arrest thieves for prosecution

“The clear message that we want to send to criminals is that if you target our base stations, you will be caught and you will be prosecuted,” Kennedy said.