Finnish authorities said on Dec. 3 that the fiber-optic cable internet cable that connects Finland and Sweden was severed in two places due to excavation work.
Earlier in the day, Nordic data communication provider GlobalConnect reported that two separate cuts to a land cable on Monday afternoon local time caused a major outage in Finland.
It said that the cable was damaged due to two separate incidents. No sea cables were affected.
Global Connect said that one of the damaged cables was repaired on Tuesday, restoring most customer services, while repairs on the second cable are ongoing with no estimated resolution time yet.
On Dec. 3, a Global Connect spokeswoman told The Epoch Times by email that both cables were broken due to excavation work and assessed these incidents as “a coincidence of unfortunate circumstances.”
“We can confirm that all services are back up and running again,” she added.
‘Establishing What Has Happened’
This disruption follows recent breaches of two undersea fiber-optic communication cables in the Baltic Sea.
Authorities said they are not yet conducting a criminal investigation but are working to establish what happened.
Lulu Ranne, Finland’s minister of transport and communications, wrote on social media platform X: “The authorities are investigating the matter together with the company. We take the situation seriously.”
Finnish Police also issued a statement, clarifying that there is no ongoing criminal investigation into the damage to the cable between Finland and Sweden “at this stage.”
“The police are establishing what has happened, together with other authorities,” it said.
Ranne shared an article from Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest daily newspaper, that reported that Niklas Ekström, head of communications at Swedish GlobalConnect, said: “The cables are broken for a variety of reasons. It is unusual for two cables to be damaged at the same time.”
A GlobalConnect spokeswoman told The Epoch Times by email that it “was excavation work that broke one of the cables.”
She said the issue with the second cable has been located and requires excavation to verify and proceed with repairs.
“It is too early to say what caused the issue on cable two. The team is investigating. Our current top priority is to get our customers’ services up and running again,” she said.
The company did not comment on Ekström’s comments.
The Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 is anchored in the sea of Kattegat, near the city of Granaa in Jutland, Denmark, on Nov. 20, 2024. Mikkel Berg Pedersen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP, File
Baltic Sea
Despite the recent incidents involving undersea cables in the Baltic Sea being attributed to non-sabotage causes, European leaders remain on high alert in the region due to heightened geopolitical tensions.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius described the damage of undersea fiber-optic communication cables, one between Lithuania and Sweden and the other between Finland and Germany, as likely deliberate and a potential act of “ hybrid action.”
Speaking from Warsaw last week, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he will push for the creation of a new “navy policing” program aimed at bolstering security in the Baltic Sea amid threats from Russia.
On Nov. 29, Sweden formally requested China’s cooperation with its investigation into the damage sustained by the two undersea cables.
The Yi Peng 3, a 75,200-dwt (deadweight ton) bulk carrier flagged under China, traveled through the Baltic Sea at the time the two incidents occurred and is now sitting idle in international waters, inside Denmark’s exclusive economic zone.
The Chinese Communist Party’s foreign ministry said that the communications channels with Sweden and other relevant parties were “unobstructed,” when asked about the Swedish request.
The Russian government has denied any involvement in the damage to the cables.
Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.
Editor’s Note: The article has been updated to add comments from a GlobalConnect spokeswoman.
Owen Evans
Author
Owen Evans is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of national stories, with a particular interest in civil liberties and free speech.
