An unspecified number of Openreach’s broadband ISP and phone customers, including some Ethernet links, appear to have been disrupted in the Shropshire (England) town of Telford after the operator’s network was “badly damaged” in an attack. The operator informs that this “attack” is not being linked to cable theft.
The event appears to have started at around 1-2am last night after 5 cables were cut in a manhole along the A4169 Queensway, which impacted services in and around the Cuckoo Oaks area. A number of other network operators have also been impacted by the disruption this has caused.
New cables are understood to have already been installed to replace a 144, 240, 48 and 864 ribbon cable, but the splicing work is expected to take a bit of time. Damage like this can often take most of a day or more to fully resolve.
An Openreach spokesperson told ISPreview:
“Our network in the Cuckoo Oaks area of Telford has been badly damaged, impacting phone and broadband service for local homes and businesses.
Our engineers have already started work and are doing their best to carry out repairs and restore connectivity as quickly and safely as possible.
These attacks cause unacceptable disruption to the lives of local people and put vulnerable people at risk.
We encourage anyone who is experiencing problems to contact their provider who will advise us. It’s also worth remembering that vulnerable status (which can prioritise repair work) is determined by broadband providers; if you think you or a family member should be given this status, please register with your provider.”