Author Topic: Hacksaw Toting Metal Theives Cut Folks WEB Off...Again (Read 1060 times)

GhostShip · « **on:** February 25, 2014, 07:50:43 pm »

This low level crime with a very serious impact just seem to go on and on

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/25/bt_cable_theft/

Quote

BT is suffering a big outage in a number of areas throughout Blighty, after thieves severed the telecoms giant's fibre cable in an effort to nick copper wiring from the company on Monday.

TalkTalk, which is a BT Openreach customer, said on its status page that its service was affected by a "major cable break".

BT asked Brits to "be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour in or around street cabinets or manhole covers immediately".

I think BT should spend a bit more money on informing any potential thieves that copper is not really the connection material of the 21st century, publicised images of those bits of cheap and shiny plastic they called "fibre" might enlighten a few of these technical neanderthals, Alternatively could we be seeing a new resurgence of the classic luddite agenda ?

Maybe the NSA are doing this as cell phones are easier to intercept

White Stripes · « **Reply #1 on:** February 26, 2014, 11:39:06 am »

Quote

publicised images of those bits of cheap and shiny plastic they called "fibre"

the fibre itself is glass, not plastic, but is coated in plastic and thin enough to look like a copper phone line... ... i dont envy the technician that has to splice the stuff together after an incident like this...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_fiber_cable

GhostShip · « **Reply #2 on:** February 27, 2014, 12:51:26 am »

My major annoyance is that the type of moron who chops through a fibre cable really has no care what damage they do, they are it seems willing to cost the rest of us tens of thousands of pounds/dollars per incident in repair costs and service non delivery rebates to customers, a dark side of me suggests that the telecos might clad the fibre around a solid copper core running at UK national grid levels of 135kv

That might solve the problem, we could even offer out free axes

DaBees-Knees · « **Reply #3 on:** February 27, 2014, 05:52:17 am »

If my memory serves me right , Cyanide used to be added to trunk cables to stop rats eating the covering. Maybe a little cyanide would help to prevent the modern rats that are cutting/stealing cables.

Pri · « **Reply #4 on:** March 10, 2014, 11:39:13 am »

There is a good film that came out recently where the plot was about two young boys stealing cable. It's called "The Selfish Giant". Really amazing british film.

About this story specifically, it makes me angry that thieves are doing this. My own internet was down for about 16 days last year in August because vandals broke into a junction box used by my ISP and actually stole the door allowing all kinds of debri and rain to get inside ruining equipment. Makes me mad.

wonderer · « **Reply #5 on:** March 11, 2014, 11:36:22 am »

have mercy pri with the poor burglars in desperate need of a door

White Stripes · « **Reply #6 on:** March 11, 2014, 01:33:50 pm »

in the states, at least this area of them, when the door gets stolen the telco puts a black trashbag over the box thats held in place with duct tape.... it apparently works cos the phone still rings...