After an attack on an unprecedented scale of the operators’ fiber optic networks, the Paris prosecutor’s office immediately opened a preliminary investigation.
On Wednesday, thousands of French people were deprived of fixed and mobile Internet, after acts of vandalism on fiber optic cables, literally severed, having caused major breakdowns. If no one knows at this stage who is behind these malicious interventions or what their motivations may be, the Paris public prosecutor’s office took the lead by opening, the same day, a preliminary investigation entrusted to the cyber section of the judicial court. . The operators, themselves, filed a complaint by becoming a civil party.
Connections restored, but repair work continues
On Wednesday, the French Telecoms Federation (FFT) and the operators Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free strongly condemned the acts of vandalism committed in the middle of the night on their fiber optic networks. SFR and especially Free were the two operators to suffer the most damage, Xavier Niel’s company having notably relayed photos of severed fiber cables.
The attack, ” on an unprecedented scale in the words of FFT Director General Michel Combot, has greatly disrupted telecommunications in the Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Grand Est regions, going so far as to impact dozens of thousands of citizens and companies, then deprived for sometimes several hours of any means of communication.
Very quickly, the technical teams of the operators were able to mobilize in the field to solve, sometimes in the early morning, the connection interruptions which could have had particularly delicate consequences, for example in the event of emergency communications, certain subscribers having been deprived both landline and mobile. And if the connections have been restored so that everyone can communicate, the repair work on the damaged cables should take a while longer.
The Telecoms Federation says it is fed up with the attacks suffered by operators
The Paris prosecutor’s office has therefore opened an investigation after this unprecedented wave of malicious acts, officially for ” deterioration of property likely to affect the fundamental interests of the Nation “, also for ” interference with an automated data processing system ” and ” conspiracy “. Several regions but above all several distinct networks were affected a few tens of minutes apart, which implies collective action.
If the attack is unprecedented in its scale, it is not the first time that the infrastructures of telecom operators have been victims of malicious acts. ” We have been alerting the public authorities for many months to the resurgence of malicious acts on our infrastructures “recalls Arthur Dreyfuss, President of the French Federation of Telecoms.
The leader, who is stepping up to the plate, refers in particular to the mobile phone masts, regularly targeted in recent years by activists or residents dissatisfied with their installation. ” I strongly condemn these acts of sabotage which cause considerable inconvenience to the businesses and citizens of our country. We reiterate our call to the future government to intensify the fight and prevention against these acts of vandalism and we call for tougher criminal penalties against their perpetrators. “. This appeal, given the seriousness of the facts, should hit the mark this time.
Sources: French Telecoms Federation, franceinfo
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