Why do utility poles have so many wires in developing countries?
In contrast, in the US, a utility pole will look more like the second picture: also aboveground, but with much less wire. (The photo here actually has more wires than a typical US pole, though the pictured style isn't too unusual.)
Why are these places wired this way? Given that copper wiring is valuable enough to be worth stealing and selling, wouldn't it cost less to run as few cables as possible along the street? If, on the other hand, this is actually a more cost-effective scheme, why isn't it used in developed countries?
Phnom Penh:
USA:
1. Bad planning, rather taking one overhead conductor to supply a number of houses, local electricity company draws a new wire every time a new connection is asked for.
2. Power theft: that's a big problem that plagues most developing countries, multiple wires are thrown at the nearby electricity pole to draw power.
3. Local resistance: this is actually mix of point no. 1 & 2, people don't let electricity company employees enter their area to correct these things as too many wires have been hooked for theft.
In South Asia and South East Asia, cable distribution via the utility pole is a very common practice. The curled up roll you see in the pictures is the extra length of cable, so if a cable is accidentally cut, you have enough to cable to patch up and string across to the next pole, without the need to insert a joinder cable patch.
Each cable operator would be stringing their own cables, so imagine if a specific area has 5-6 cable operators, 5-6 Aerial Fiber providers and perhaps 2-3 Internet Service Providers who provide Internet via Ethernet, you get quite a clogged up utility pole. It can be a nightmare trying to find your own cable patch and trying to repair it, but somehow it does get done very well.
All this aerial transport of cables make the deployment costs very economical, the only downside being these ugly poles sprouting up everywhere.
There are two reasons. First, it's really expensive to build and maintain underground energy transmission systems. Secondly, the urbanization of whole country is not yet finished. This means, if you dig the roads and build the underground lines, probably you need to dig it again after a few years, because urban plans changes continuously, they are not yet fitted for the upcoming conditions. And you have to adapt everything again for these newer plans.
As a result, these countries have to choose cheaper and easier method for power transmission. However, this one also has important disadvantages. Illegal electricity usage is very common on some poor cities of Turkey, and the biggest cause of illegal electricity is, overhead transmission lines. Because it's so easy to 'throw' a cable and connect it to your home-network. After this 5-minute action, you just have unlimited free energy, sponsored by rich citizens of Turkey. I've even saw a picture of home in Eastern Turkey, just want to describe. A bed base, made of steel. Hanged on the ceiling, with a cable, one side connected to bed base, other side to energy transmission. They heat their home, with this resistant, made of 'bed base.
It's very clear that it is a sociologic problem, more than a 'technical', but yeah, hard to think about it.
I was wondering about this same question, having recently returned from a trip to Peru, but I have some theories. It’s important to distinguish between low-voltage communication (telephone, Internet, cable TV) cables and line-voltage power supply cables; I believe the vast majority of this tangle you see is the former type.
Telephone wiring systems historically give a single dedicated pair of wires running to each subscriber, from a Central Office telephone exchange (CO) that may serve several thousand subscribers. In the United States, these run out from the CO in large bundled cables that may hold hundreds of pairs (600-, 1200-, 1800- pairs of wires) [1] into the neighborhood, where they are split into smaller bundles at junction boxes, cabinets, or pedestals, and ultimately to individual pairs running to a house or business. I suspect these large cables are ultimately more durable and reliable in the long term, but they are a large up-front expense (investment) and are somewhat more complicated do deal with in splicing.
In developing countries, I think there is a general trend toward minimizing the up-front capital expense for infrastructure, even if the return on investment is fairly short. These tangles of cables look like the result of stringing individual single-pair cables (with bulky outdoor insulation) all the way from the CO to individual customer sites.
They can be illegal in 3 different ways: the individual, an organized criminal gang, active or former cops.
The individual is likely to try to splice into the main lines in a way that is dangerous to himself and the community.
Cops sometimes push out criminal gangs and you pay them for electricity and cable TV.
Nobody pays the electrical utility worker enough to interfere.
Probably the only difference in Cambodia is it is even more disorganized.