Fibre-Optic Cable Cuts Disrupt Broadband Services in France During Olympic Games

Several fibre-optic cables carrying broadband services across France’s southern and eastern regions were severed overnight in the latest attack on the country’s infrastructure during the Olympic Games.

SFR reported that five lines were cut overnight, and repair teams are actively working to restore services, according to a spokesperson for the French telecommunications carrier. Other carriers, including Iliad’s Free and Netalis, also experienced disruptions.

Netalis CEO Nicolas Guillaume stated that the telecoms company successfully rerouted traffic to backup networks early on Monday to mitigate the impact.

Connections serving Paris, which is currently hosting the Olympic Games, and the games themselves were unaffected, according to a spokesperson for Orange, the Olympics telecom partner.

Despite this, France is facing a series of attacks on its infrastructure this week as the world’s attention is focused on the capital. Coordinated fires on French rail lines disrupted train services ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday.

Agence France-Presse reported the fibre-optic cable damage, citing a police source.

A similar incident in 2022 led to a criminal investigation after long-distance cables connecting areas of Paris to Lyon, Strasbourg, and Lille were cut in several locations, resulting in widespread internet outages.

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