For tens of thousands of inhabitants of the Tarn, it is impossible to call or surf the Web. The fire degradation of two cell towers near Albi resulted in the shutdown of the mobile network for more than 50,000 users of operators Bouygues Telecom and SFR, the Tarn prefecture reported on Sunday (September 12th).
ℹ️⚠️ Due to a failure on a relay antenna, Bouygues and SFR subscribers may encounter difficulties p… https://t.co/PTDvh2e47l
“Fifty-two thousand Bouygues and SFR subscribers were affected by a loss of the telephone network yesterday. From last night [samedi], the situation was restored for 20,000 of them ”, specified, in a press release, the prefecture. For any emergency, and in case of difficulty to reach the numbers 15, 17 and 18, she advised to dial 112.
An investigation was opened on “These two arson attacks”, reported the Tarn prefecture to Agence France-Presse, stressing that teams of technicians were working on damaged relays so as to restore all communications by ” Begining of the next week “.
Network restored for 20,000 subscribers
On Twitter, Sunday, the Secretary of State for Digital, Cédric O, “Strongly condemned this arson”. He added :
“With Gérald Darmanin, we are acting alongside all operators to put an end to these unacceptable acts. (…) Vandalism on mobile pylons is criminal and cuts populations off from vital services. “
According to Cédric O, the network was restored very quickly for 20,000 affected subscribers, but “The disturbances are still in progress, and the maximum is being done to restore the situation” for the remaining 30,000 subscribers.
? I strongly condemn the arson of a @TDFgroupe pylon which affected the network of @SFR subscribers and… https://t.co/a0s60oBKkj
These last months, several fires volunteers targeted telephone installations, in particular relay antennas. In 2020, the authorities identified around a hundred voluntary damage to telephone towers across the country. Some of these actions have been claimed by the ultra-left.