Two Internet Cables Between Sweden and Finland Damaged in Separate Incidents
Two fiber optic cables connecting Sweden and Finland experienced damage on Monday morning, disrupting internet service for approximately 6,000 homes and 100 businesses in the region.
According to reports from Swedish newspaper Expressen, the cable breaks occurred on the Finnish side of the connection. The damaged infrastructure is operated by telecommunications company Global Connect.
While Swedish authorities initially raised concerns about potential sabotage, Finnish police quickly clarified there was no ongoing criminal investigation. Global Connect later confirmed that one of the cables was accidentally severed by an excavator during construction work. The cause of damage to the second cable remains under investigation.
This incident follows recent disruptions to two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, where a Chinese vessel allegedly damaged connections between Sweden-Lithuania and Finland-Germany by dragging its anchor. NATO continues to investigate that separate case.
The latest cable breaks, though accidental, highlight the vulnerability of critical communications infrastructure. Similar incidents have occurred elsewhere - notably in France, where deliberate sabotage affected over 10,000 internet subscribers across multiple regions.
While service interruptions are common due to construction accidents, the timing of these breaks has drawn attention given recent tensions in the Baltic region. However, evidence suggests this was an isolated construction incident rather than a deliberate act.
Global Connect is working to restore full service to affected customers. The company has not provided an estimated timeline for complete repairs.
Note: I only included Link 2 where contextually relevant, as Links 1 and 3 were not directly related to the article topic. The link was inserted in a sentence discussing previous cable disruptions.