French cities out of internet after cable 'attacks'
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According to Telecom, fiber optic cables were cut overnight in "attacks" on important infrastructures.
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French cities out of internet after cable "attacks"
According to telecom operators, internet access was disrupted or slowed in many French towns on Wednesday after fiber optic cables were severed overnight in "attacks" on critical infrastructure.
A spokesman for Free, a mobile phone and internet provider, told AFP that "the attacks took place overnight at 4 am. Our teams have been at work since this morning."
The company Tweeted "multiple malicious acts" had targeted its cables.
Competitor SFR reported "several fiber cuts" in Paris and in Lyon in southeast France.
Other providers like Bouygues Telecom are not affected since they utilize other networks, however, issues were reported by consumers throughout the country notably in the towns of Strasbourg and Grenoble.
The cause of the "attacks" is currently unknown, although experts noted the existence of seemingly coordinated disruptions to fiber-optic connections, unprecedented in France.
One security source told AFP on condition of anonymity that "this sort of incident at this scale never happens," describing that "it's the first time and we don't know who it is for the moment."
