Internet service was interrupted in many parts of Mexico yesterday after fiber optic cables were damaged by fire.

Telmex informed users late yesterday afternoon that the company had restored full internet connectivity after interruptions began to occur about 3:00pm CDT.

The company explained that the connectivity problems occurred when farmers were burning off fields in San Luis Potosí and Sinaloa, causing damage to fiber optic cables.

Mexico’s largest cities were among those most affected, including Guadalajara, Mérida, Puebla, Querétaro, Monterrey, Tijuana, Aguascalientes, Tuxtla Gutiérrez and Mexico City. Telcel customers in some regions also had problems connecting to the internet on their cellphones.

Telmex said it would take legal action against the offenders.

“Telmex will begin the appropriate legal proceedings against those responsible for disrupting the communications network and we reiterate our promise to offer the very best service to our customers.”

The practice of burning off fields was blamed for two major electricity outages on the Yucatán peninsula in March and April.

Source: Milenio (sp), El Financiero (sp)