The French government reports multiple acts of vandalism have disrupted telecommunications lines, affecting fiber, fixed, and mobile phone services amid the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics.
The extent of the disruption and its impact on Olympic activities remain unclear. This follows arson attacks on train networks across France last Friday, just hours before the Olympics opening ceremony.
Marina Ferrari, Secretary of State for Digital Affairs, posted on X that overnight damage from Sunday to Monday affected telecommunications operators in several regions. This has led to localized outages in fiber and phone services.
Paris 2024 Olympics organizers have yet to comment.
A French police official stated that at least six administrative departments, including the Marseille region hosting Olympic soccer and sailing events, were affected.
Telecom operators Bouygues and Free confirmed their services were impacted. French media reported that lines operated by SFR were also hit. Free’s parent company stated their teams are working to restore services.
A national investigation is ongoing into last week’s train sabotage, which disrupted travel for nearly a million passengers in France and neighboring countries, including London. Train services had largely resumed by Monday.
French media reported the arrest of an extreme-left activist at a rail facility in the Seine-Maritime region on Sunday. However, the Paris prosecutor’s office clarified that this arrest is unconnected to the recent incidents, and no arrests have been made in the investigation into the arson attacks.
