KPN, Tele2 outages caused by fiber optic cable damage

Damage to a KPN fiber optic cable in Utrecht caused internet, television and landline phone service outages on Friday for a wide swath of customers using the Dutch company’s extensive network. The issue hit KPN and its subsidiary, Telfort, as well as Tele2, reported broadcaster NOS. The cause of the issue is not yet known, a spokesman said. It affects copper-wire service as well as the fiber optic network. Disruptions of this nature are unusual, as connections are often made redundantly to make outages less likely, the broadcaster reported. It is not clear when service will be restored.