Mystery fault takes undersea internet cable between Germany and Finland out of service
(CNN) — An unexplained fault in an undersea telecommunications cable linking Finland and Germany has disrupted communication services, the company that runs the link said Monday.
The C-Lion1 cable that connects Helsinki to Rostock in Germany was built and is operated by Cinia, a state-controlled Finnish company.
Covering a distance of nearly 1,200 kilometers (730 miles), the cable is the only direct connection of its kind between Finland and central Europe and it runs alongside other key pieces of infrastructure, including gas pipelines and power cables.
It is unclear what caused the fault – Cinia said in a statement that it is still investigating the issue. However, the malfunction comes just weeks after the United States warned that it had detected increased Russian military activity around key undersea cables. Two US officials told CNN in September that the US believed Russia was now more likely to carry out potential sabotage operations on these critical pieces of infrastructure.
The warning came after a joint investigation by the public broadcasters of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, which reported in April 2023 that Russia had a fleet of suspected spy ships operating in Nordic waters as part of a program of potential sabotage of underwater cables and wind farms in the region.
The extent of the disruption caused by the fault revealed Monday is unclear. The most important data flows are usually routed through several different cables, to avoid overreliance on a single link.
A repair vessel is ready to go to the site of the fault, Cinia said, according to Finland’s public broadcaster, YLE. It said it did not know how long repairs would take, but added it typically takes between five and 15 days for submarine cables.
Cinia did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for further details.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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CNN’s Paul P. Murphy and Jim Sciutto contributed reporting.
