“Damage” to fiber optic networks in six departments, Paris prosecutor’s office takes charge of investigation

The affected departments are Bouches-du-Rhône, Aude, Oise, Hérault, Meuse and Drôme. “Localized consequences on access to fiber, fixed telephony and mobile telephony” have appeared, according to the Secretary of State for Digital Affairs.

Fiber optic networks were cut in six departments on the night of Sunday 28 to Monday 29 July, a police source reported to franceinfo, confirming information from AFP. The departments affected are Bouches-du-Rhône, Aude, Oise, Hérault, Meuse and Drôme.

These “degradations […] have localized consequences on access to fiber, fixed telephony and mobile telephony”explains, on X Monday, Marina Ferrari, resigning Secretary of State to the Minister of the Economy, responsible for Digital Affairs. “Under my supervision, the Defense Electronic Communications Center is cooperating with operators until communications and services are fully restored.”she specifies.

According to the Downdetector website, which references theProblems and breakdowns for all kinds of servicesa peak in outages began on Monday morning around 6 a.m., affecting operators such as SFR, Bouygues and Free.

The SFR long-distance network was targeted in particular at five locations between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., the company explained to France Télévisions. SFR specifies that very large cables were cut, probably with a grinder, and the access grids to the sites were broken. SFR specifies that it operates for Free, TDF, Bouygues and international operators. According to the company, its customers are very little affected because SFR has redundancy solutions unlike other operators.

In the Drôme, the towns of Montélimar, Montboucher and Espeluche are affected by outages, reports France Bleu. However, SFR estimates that few customers are experiencing difficulties on these networks, because the duplicated lines very quickly took over from the damaged ones. These are cables that supply the relay antennas of the 4G network that were cut, specifies France Bleu. Free indicates, on X, Monday shortly before 5 p.m., that “everything is back to normal” and “services in these departments have been fully restored.”

The Paris public prosecutor’s office has announced that it is taking action “damage to telecommunications relay devices” under the National Jurisdiction for the Fight against Organized Crime (JUNALCO). An investigation has been opened for “damage to property likely to harm the fundamental interests of the nation”, “attacks on an automated data processing system by an organized gang” And “criminal association with a view to committing crimes and offences”.

The facts targeted by this investigation are those committed in Contrisson in the Meuse, in Capestan in the Hérault, in Catigny and Béhancourt in the Oise and between Le Rove and l’Estaque in the Bouches-du-Rhône, specifies the Paris prosecutor’s office. Two other departments, Aude and Drôme, were affected by these attacks on fiber optic networks, but are not cited by the prosecutor’s office in its press release. The investigations are entrusted to the sub-directorate of anti-terrorism (SDAT) and to the general directorate of the national gendarmerie (DGGN).

These “degradations” The attacks come just days after the sabotage of several high-speed train lines caused chaos in stations on Friday morning, just hours before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.