Mobile phone and internet cables cut in several areas of France
Vandals have carried out a series of attacks in six departments affecting services with Free, SFR, Orange and Bouygues
The internet connection was cut for thousands of people in six departments, police sources say
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Mobile phone and internet connections have been severely disrupted in several areas of France after vandals cut fibre optic cables in six departments.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the sabotage and it is not known if the attacks are related to the acts of sabotage against the TGVs that coincided with the start of the Paris Olympic Games.
The major fibre optic cables, particularly those connecting the 4G network, were cut between on Sunday night (July 28) and Monday morning, a police source told franceinfo.
However, following the initial disruption, back-up systems have largely restored normal service.
The departments affected are Bouches-du-Rhône, Aude, Oise, Hérault, Meuse and Drôme.
You can check the status of your internet provider in real time and see which websites are affected by the disruption to the fibre optic network with this tool here.
Free, SFR, Orange and Bouygues affected
The automated internet monitoring service Pannes Internet et Mobile, which tracks disruptions to the internet, has identified problems in dozens of locations around France since 05:00.
The service has reported problems with operators Free, SFR, Orange and Bouygues.
The French authorities have taken the acts of vandalism seriously, with State Secretary for digital communications, Marina Ferrari, offering the assistance of the state's digital defence centre to the affected firms, "until communications and services are fully restored."
The office of the Paris Public Prosecutor told franceinfo that it plans to investigate the matter.
A series of attacks against infrastructure
On Friday the sabotage of several high-speed train lines caused chaos in stations, just hours before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
This latest fibre optic network attack also follows the destruction of a mobile phone mast in Saint-Orens de Gameville (Haute-Garonne), which left thousands without a signal on July 24.
An anarchist group claimed responsibility for that attack, which it said was in protest against the Paris Olympic Games.
