Some French people may have had difficulty accessing the Internet since the night of April 26. Several fiber optic cables were cut in different places. An act of sabotage is suspected according to information from theObsAn investigation has been opened.
Operators on alert
What happened on the night of April 26 to 27? Several fiber optic cables were severed in several places in France. The operator for professionals Netalis reports, referring to the incident ” a first for Netalis in 7 years of operating our network “. The operator reported early in the morning that ” Two long-distance cables from different operators are cut several hundred kilometers apart “.
Spotify in great shape in the first quarter of 2022
The world reports that SFR was also affected by a cut in the Lyon region on April 26 and one in Ile de France on the night of the 27. Another operator, a foreigner, explained that he had lost his Paris-Lille connection. Among the mainstream operators Free was one of the hardest hit. It is possible to see the peaks of operator failure reports in the areas affected by the cuts via Downdetector. Orange and Bourgues Telecom were not affected, but announce that they have increased their vigilance.
The map highlights an abnormal accumulation of reports by Free users. Source: Downdetector
Losses of Internet access were limited by the operators, even if it was very slow. Sami Slim, Managing Director of Telehouse explaining to theAFP“ It’s a bit like if highways were cut, and traffic had to be redirected on national roads “. The connection should be gradually restored throughout the day.
A “very rare” event in France and “serious”
Although there is no formal proof of a voluntary act, the investigation has only just begun, many think about it. The coordination of the cuts to a new national makes the hypothesis of chance and accident improbable.
For Netalis, “ As it stands, no element can presume a malicious act, but investigations are underway with regard to the very short interval between the two incidents. “. Free takes far fewer precautions, he sees in these events of ” multiple malicious acts on infrafibre “.
— Free 1337 (@Free_1337) April 27, 2022
Given the extent of the damage, the authorities were naturally quickly informed. The Secretary of State for Digital confirmed on Twitter cable cuts in Île-de-France. The Ministry of the Economy admitted to AFP that it is possible that the “cut pipes” could be acts of vandalism. According to a state sourceObsthis “coordinated malicious act” is “serious” and “very rare”.