Subsea cables damaged in France and in the UK, affecting users around the globe

Internet connectivity was affected on 19 October after a major cable cut in the south of France, affecting subsea cable connectivity to Europe, Asia, the United States, and potentially other parts of the world. As a result, customers have experienced packet loss or latency for websites and applications that cross these routes. Cloud security company Zscaler reports that they made routing adjustments to reduce the consequences.

According to Zscaler, three French links – from Marseille-Lyon, Marseille-Milano, and Marseille-Barcelona – were cut.

Coincidently, the undersea cable that connects the Shetland Islands to the Scottish mainland has reportedly also suffered damage, reports the BBC. Since cables between the Faroe Islands and Shetland were also recently damaged, this is the second incidence involving marine cables in that area in a short period.