It almost looks like a valve » (do you have it?): Free is the victim of another leak, but this time, a water leak. Nothing to do with the huge data leak. But, this simple technical incident can teach us more about the functioning of an operator.
It was a new leak that affected Free, but a water leak: the connection node in the 18th arrondissement of Paris suffered a water leak in the building. The connections were even cut, time to repair that.
A leak at Free, or rather water damage
This story is quite different from the huge data leak at Free at the end of October 2024, which could lead to banking scams with your IBAN. This November 6, the X account dedicated to the technique of the Internet service provider (ISP), Free 1337, published a message concerning a technical problem. The operator noticed a water leak in the ceiling of one of its connection nodes located in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The message is even accompanied by a photo of this famous “ leak ».
Rest assured, “ the problem was brought under control with a temporary solution », Specified the ISP. All equipment was put back into service and subscribers were able to enjoy the Internet again. Furthermore, another intervention is planned “ to secure the waterproofing of premises “. On
By the way, what is a connecting node?
What Free is talking about is an optical backhaul node, or NRO. It is a place where all the fiber optic lines of subscribers from the same district or the same city converge and this is where they are connected to the national network. For each premises, there can be up to several tens of thousands of lines, which can be activated or deactivated. There are also subscriber connection nodes, or NRAs, which are designed for ADSL and telephone lines.
This is a room in which there is an inverter and backup batteries (to prevent power cuts), air conditioning (to maintain a constant temperature and cool the machines), lots of cables distributed throughout the rooms. directions and optical network switches, or “ optical switches »: these are devices that create virtual circuits between several devices.
Free has its own NROs, although it sometimes rents premises in Orange. But for Very Dense Areas (ZTD) like Paris or the rest of Île-de-France, it has its NROs. Downstream of the NROs, we find the famous metal cabinets that we see in the streets, called optical pooling points (PM). They are the ones connected to the NROs and who ultimately distribute your fiber lines. In some cases, a connection node can also be a pooling point.
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