A 'Gold Rush' in the Wires

Copper demand is on the rise all over the planet. As this post from InfraNet Lab points out, the U.S. has rich deposits -- in its telephone networks.

1 minute read

May 16, 2011, 9:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg

Telephone and utility poles could be the sites of a new gold rush.

"On one hand there are the vast amounts of abandoned wires hanging from utility poles left by earlier economics where it was cheaper for telecom companies to lash new cables to utility poles without taking down the old ones. On the other hand, the remaining active copper wires could also be up for grabs as the value of copper telecom cables is higher (and continuing to rise) than the steady value of fiber-based conduit. Other operations have also made this connection. In the past few years theft of hanging copper wire in the US has been on the rise."

FULL STORY: The New Gold and its Unconventional Reserves

Friday, May 13, 2011 in InfraNet Lab

Infrastructure United States Utilities Copper Telephone Poles

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