The incident occurred shortly after a series of arson attacks on France’s high-speed train network on July 26, preceding the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
According to officials, several telecommunication lines in France were deliberately damaged by vandals, resulting in network disruptions in various regions.
The vandalism took place on the night of July 28 during the 2024 Summer Olympics in France, impacting network facilities in Aude, Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, Hérault, Meuse, and Oise—reported by BFM TV
sources.
Officials noted that the vandalism included cutting fiber optic cables in electrical cabinets.
The full extent of the damage remains unknown, and no group has claimed responsibility for these acts. Local authorities have initiated an investigation into the matter.
Marina Ferrari, the French secretary of state for digital affairs, confirmed that the vandalism affected telecommunication operators, leading to “localized consequences” in accessing fixed and mobile lines.
Ms. Ferrari mentioned that the Defense Electronic Communications Center is working with the operators under her purview to restore communications and services fully.
“I strongly condemn these cowardly and irresponsible acts,” stated Ms. Ferrari on the X social media platform.
She expressed gratitude to the teams working on repairs and site restoration since the morning of the incident.
French IT provider, Free Pro,
announced on X that their network experienced significant disruption starting at 2:15 a.m., with technicians actively resolving the issues.
Free Pro later posted an
update, confirming normal network operations had been restored. However, some localized difficulties persist, requiring ongoing efforts from their teams.
Nicolas Guillaume, CEO of the French internet provider Netalis,
stated on X that a major sabotage incident involving long-distance cables occurred at 2:15 a.m., affecting multiple operators nationwide.
The network outage impacted Netalis customers in Montpellier, Marseille, Paris, and Lyon, according to Mr. Guillaume, who estimated that full service restoration would take a few hours.
He also
shared photos of the damaged cable and condemned the vandalism as unacceptable, mentioning that his company plans to file a complaint regarding the incident soon.
This vandalism occurred shortly after the arson attacks on France’s train network on July 26, prior to the Olympics opening ceremony. The operator SNCF
stated that high-speed rail services on specific lines had been severely disrupted.
SNCF announced that repairs would last at least through the weekend to address the damages. Travelers were advised to delay their journeys and avoid stations during this period.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin
informed a local media outlet on July 29 that authorities had identified individuals linked to the sabotage.
