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5G Fuels abuse and arson

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Efforts to keep projects on time hampered by conspiracists


Hughes Electronics UK manufacturing team worked double time to keep keyworkers connected and cellular projects on schedule throughout the Pandemic.


Despite their Herculean efforts to supply a stream of Jumpers and other communication products Just-On-Time when overseas manufacturers failed due to the virtual freeze on international logistics, our efforts, and those of our clients, to keep projects on schedule, have been hampered by misguided and mindless sabotage.


What’s worse is the wanton abuse of the gallant souls building the network. Since the UK entered lockdown Mobile UK recorded more than 200 incidents of abuse against telecoms engineers and more than 90 arson attacks against mobile infrastructure.


Paul Hunt, Logistics Manager at Hughes commented “It’s madness, my team worked night and day to keep projects going through the worst of the pandemic, just to see our efforts go up in flames. The irony is that the offenders were using their mobile phones to organise the raids!”


Razor blades and needles have been hidden behind posters on structures, waiting to catch the hands of those plucky engineers trying to keep the country connected during the worst crisis the world has seen in recent times.


Attackers have set cellphone masts on fire and shared the videos on social media to the applause of fellow loonies.


Burnt Telecommunications equipment

“Familiarity with the product and ignorance of the process has helped make telecoms engineers a target for conspiracy theorists. They’re the human point of access in an otherwise inscrutable network making them an easy target” said James Vincent from The Verge.


Openreach said it’s “made educating the public about our networks a top priority” and launched a two-week national advertising campaign that “highlighted the key worker status of its engineers and the importance of their work during the pandemic”.


Let's all hope they are successful!