Deutsche Telekom battles network outage, fears hackers

Nov. 28, 2016
German incumbent telecom services provider Deutsche Telekom says it is making progress restoring internet services to subscribers affected by a network outage that began Sunday afternoon. The operator says approximately 900,000 of its approximately 20 million subscribers have been affected by the outage, which the company says could have been caused by hackers.

German incumbent telecom services provider Deutsche Telekom says it is making progress restoring internet services to subscribers affected by a network outage that began Sunday afternoon. The operator says approximately 900,000 of its approximately 20 million subscribers have been affected by the outage, which the company says could have been caused by hackers.

The operator says that customers "with specific routers" are experiencing service disruptions of varying intensity. "Based on the error pattern, we cannot exclude the possibility that the routers have been targeted by external parties with the result that they can no longer register on the network," Deutsche Telekom said via a statement posted on its website.

Deutsche Telekom security staff is working with "the router manufacturers" to address the problem. The outages do not appear to be focused on specific metropolitan areas, the company adds.

Affected customers with a Deutsche Telekom mobile contract can apply for a free Day-Flat pass to access the internet via mobile connections.

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About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher

Stephen Hardy has covered fiber optics for more than 15 years, and communications and technology for more than 30 years. He is responsible for establishing and executing Lightwave's editorial strategy across its digital magazine, website, newsletters, research and other information products. He has won multiple awards for his writing.

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