Georgian woman cuts off web access to whole of Armenia
75-years old Georgian woman was digging with her spade, looking for copper, which she wanted to sell for scrap, when she accidentally cut down an underground cable. It turned out to be the fiber-optic cable, providing the internet services to all the users in Armenia.The main Internet provider for Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan – ArmenTel, FiberNet Communication and GNC-Alfa, appeared to be in a situation when the company could not provide their normal services without knowing the reason at first.90 % percent of Armenia, and large parts of Georgia and Azerbaijan were left staring in confusion before the blank screens. 3.2 million users were wondering what is going on, until the problem was solved after five hours when the damage was detected by the system monitoring the fibre-optic cables.
The name of the woman, who sliced the cable while scavenging for the metal, was not revealed, although she was investigated for damaging private property. After all, according to the words of Georgia’s interior ministry spokesman, the woman was released due to her old age.