Operators said the severed cables link Marseille to other cities in France and Europe and that internet and phone services were severely disrupted in recent days.
France has become the main entry point for the internet in continental Europe, with some 30 cables reaching its shores.About half of these are crucial as they enable communication across the Atlantic or the Mediterranean, down through the Red Sea, and into Asia, experts say.
Cybersecurity company Zscaler said the cuts “impacted major cables with connectivity to Asia, Europe, (the) U.S., and potentially other parts of the world.”
The damage also slowed some network traffic from Europe to India, company CEO Jay Chaudhry said.
Opinions vary on how many of these strategic fiber-optic cables, especially those underwater, would have to be cut for Europe to face a widespread internet blackout.
Yet the recent sabotage of two natural gas pipelines from Russia in the Black Sea underscored the vulnerability of underwater fiber-optic cables.
No one claimed responsibility for the attacks against the Nord Stream energy pipelines.
However, American and European officials blame Moscow saying the labyrinthine network of undersea cables that power the global internet could be an inviting target. Russia denies wrongdoing.
Almost simultaneously with France, Shetland, the Scottish archipelago across the sea from Norway and 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of mainland Britain, became even more remote.
An underwater cable broke in the area, cutting off communications for the roughly 23,000 people who call the islands home.
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