Friday, January 16, 2026

Telmex says fiber optic lines cut intentionally, affecting internet across Mexico

Vandalized fiber optic cables caused internet service interruptions for Telmex customers throughout the country on Wednesday.

Internet users had problems accessing foreign-hosted websites due to breaks in two fiber optic cables, one in the United States and one in Mexico. The company said that service was re-established within two hours.

The first break occurred in Texas, 18 kilometers from the Mexico-U.S. border. The second was in Sinaloa, between Mazatlán and Culiacán.

The line in Sinaloa was repaired within two hours after the company received numerous complaints. Telmex plans to report the vandalism as an attack on telecommunication channels.

“Telmex activated its contigency plan to immediately attend to the fiber optic cut in Mexico, directing traffic through alternative routes to give users additional options, which re-opened access to international content,” the company said.

The vandalism affected users in Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Nayarit, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Colima, Michoacán, Querétaro, México state, Puebla, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Tabasco, Chiapas and Mexico City.

With reports from Milenio

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