On the night of December 30, at around 3:30 a.m., an arson fire damaged a telecommunications tower TDF (Télédiffusion de France) located in Cenves, a commune bordering the Rhône and Saône-et-Loire. The damage caused is considerable.
TDF estimated that this incident affects around 800,000 people. The affected areas include the radio network in Mâcon, Bourg-en-Bresse, part of Villefranche-sur-Saône and part of Chalon-sur-Saône.
The impacted communication services include all the channels of the France Télévisions group, including the regional editions of France 3, all the channels of the Canal+ group, the LCI and Paris Première channels.
Regarding telephone service, all operators are affected by interruptions, including 3G, 4G and 5G services. On the other hand, fiber optic Internet subscribers do not encounter any problems.
TDF is mobilized to restore the network within an estimated time of 24 to 48 hours and has confirmed that a large part of the cable has been damaged.
TDF teams are present on the scene, in collaboration with the gendarmes, and the first findings confirm the criminal origin of the fire. TDF also indicates that this type of incident is not isolated, having already occurred in the past. For example, this summer, a malicious act was claimed by a small anarchist group which set fire to a relay antenna in Occitania.
Belgium
