In the recent past, Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL) alleged that Roke Telkom had vandalized its fibre cable. This allegation led to an investigation and the issuance of summons to the chief executive officer (CEO) of Roke Telkom. In a letter dated the 22nd day of August 2017, Roke Telkom clarified the matter by showing that it was the rightful owner of the fibre cable in question and they tell their story below.
Roke Telkom is a wholly Ugandan owned company that has been licensed by the Uganda Communications Commission since 2006. Over the six years, Roke Telkom has provided stable and reliable internet services in compliance with all required regulatory standards.
In 2012, Roke Telkom made a purchase order to a Chinese firm, Wuhan FiberHome Technologies for the supply of fibre optic cable. Wuhan FiberHome informed Roke that the delivery of the consignment would take about ninety days. Shortly after the order was made, Wuhan FiberHome informed Roke Telkom that it actually had some cable in storage at its Kampala warehouse and proposed that Roke Telkom could buy this cable since it was of the same specifications ordered.
Wuhan FiberHome further informed Roke that the cable in question although initially labelled and ordered by Uganda Telecom, was up for sale since Uganda Telecom had failed to complete its payment. Roke Telkom went ahead to inspect the cable and confirmed that it was of the specifications required for the work that needed to be done at the time. Based on the confirmation from Wuhan Fiberhome and the saving of time on the delivery of the consignment as well as the fact that Roke Telkom was building its own infrastructure, Roke went ahead and paid for the cable never anticipating that there would be any doubt on the rightful ownership of the Fibre cable.
Roke Telkom reiterates the fact that it has been built on integrity, credibility and support from its loyal customers. As part of its shared values, Roke would never vandalize its fellow competitor’s infrastructure especially because telecom companies often lease infrastructure to one another.
Currently, Roke engineers together with the UTL engineers and the Uganda Police have visited some of the sites where it was clarified that the said cables belong to Roke Telkom. On the 21st day of August 2017, the manufacturer of the cable, Wuhan Fiberhome issued a written press statement to confirm that it rightfully sold the cable in question to Roke Telkom. See statement here.
