The incident happened just days after France’s high-speed train network was hit by arson attacks on July 26, ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony.
Several telecommunication lines in France have been targeted by vandals, causing network outages in some regions, officials said.
The incident, which occurred on Sunday night as France hosts the 2024 Olympics, affected network installations in six areas—Aude, Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, Hérault, Meuse, and Oise—BFM TV
reported.
Police said that fiber optic cables in electrical cabinets had been cut.
The extent of the damage is still unknown, and no one has claimed responsibility for the vandalism. Local authorities said they were investigating the incident.
Marina Ferrari, French secretary of state for digital affairs, confirmed that the vandalism affected telecommunications operators and caused “localized consequences” on accessing fixed and mobile lines.
Ms. Ferrari said that the Defense Electronic Communications Center was cooperating with the operators under her supervision until communications and services were fully restored.
“I condemn in the strongest terms these cowardly and irresponsible acts,” Ms. Ferrari
stated on the social media platform X.
“I would like to thank the teams who have been mobilized since this morning to carry out repairs and bring the damaged sites into service,” she added.
French IT provider Free Pro
stated on X that its network was experiencing “a significant slowdown” since 2:15 a.m. and that its technicians were making repairs.
Free Pro posted an
update several hours later, saying the situation has returned to “nominal status” and that all its services are now operational. It added that “a few local difficulties persist” and its teams remain “fully mobilized.”
Nicolas Guillaume, CEO of French Internet provider Netalis,
stated on X that a “major sabotage of long-distance cables” occurred around 2:15 a.m. and affected several operators across the country.
The network outage affected Netalis customers in Montpellier, Marseille, Paris, and Lyon, Mr. Guillaume
said, adding that it would take “a few hours” to restore full service.
He also shared
photos of the cut cable and condemned the act of vandalism as “unacceptable.” Mr. Guillaume said that his company would file a complaint about the incident in the coming days.
The vandalism happened just days after France’s train network was hit by arson attacks on July 26, ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony. Operator SNCF
said that high-speed rail services on the Atlantique, Nord, and Est lines had been “severely disrupted.”
“This situation is due to last for at least the weekend to allow time for repairs to be carried out. We are asking all travelers to delay their journeys and avoid going to stations,” SNCF had stated.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin
told local broadcaster on Monday that authorities have identified the “profiles” of individuals responsible for the “sabotage.”
