The key facts
- Orange reported a mobile network outage from late morning on Wednesday: calls, SMS and mobile services were disrupted
- Emergency calls were unaffected; at the peak, Downdetector recorded nearly 12,000 complaints
- The operator does not consider a cyberattack a likely cause, leaning toward a technical problem
Massive outage at Orange
French telecom operator Orange reported on Wednesday a 'major technical incident' that disrupted its mobile network from late morning. According to the company, the outage severely hampered calls, SMS and mobile services for a significant portion of customers — both individual and corporate.
Emergency calls and the company's response
Orange stressed that emergency calls were not affected. The operator's technical teams, according to the company, are 'fully mobilized' to restore services as quickly as possible.
Scale and cause
According to French broadcaster BFMTV, at the peak of the outage the outage-monitoring site Downdetector recorded nearly 12,000 reports of problems. According to a source, the operator does not consider a cyberattack a likely cause and leans toward a technical malfunction.
