Chaos Theory and why a strike at a mine in Peru can bring down an internet connection in Sheffield
At work a few months back we had a few internet outages. That doesn't just mean that we can't update our Facebook status, it also means that productivity is severely reduced. This is because most of our servers are in external locations; these servers are required by most employees to do their work. In addition to this, communications with clients and deliveries to clients are done electronically.Today we got forwarded the reason for the outages, which I thought made interesting reading. Names of companies have been changed because I don't like linking the company that I work for with the shit that I right on this blog.
To Whom it may concern,
[GC]'s backbone network in the UK has been built around the fibre and duct work originally owned by British Rail, these duct carry fibres for a range of telecommunications companies, not just [GC], but the ducts and rights of access are owned and leased to other providers by [GC].
As such many fibres run close to the main line railway, along side a raft of other network services used to run the railway infrastructure. Over the past couple of years there have been a series of incidents involving the theft of materials (notably copper) from railway sidings. The typical theft involved a person (or persons) cutting through a group of cables and associated ducting with a chain saw, driving 100 yards down the railway track in a 4x4 and repeating the process. They will then separate out cables containing copper from telecommunications fibres clamp them and pull the copper cables out of the duct by towing them.
The end result is that [GC] (and other carriers) have to travel to the site of the break (usually fairly isolated locations) identify both breaks and run a new length of fibre into the ducts and reconnect (splice) both ends. A large cable break may involve 40+ individual fibres at two locations, and affects a large number of customers simultaneously. Although we endeavour to repair faults within 4 hours it often takes longer due to the sheer volume of fibres in a single duct.
In the case of [my employer] there were two notable outages, on the 11th of February and the 29th March 2007 which affected the Sheffield site, these faults were both caused as a result of damage caused by thieves steeling copper cables from the communications duct work.
[GC] and British Transport Police take all such incidents very seriously, although the telecoms infrastructure can be repaired / replaced fairly quickly there is an obvious risk to health and safety of railway passengers as a result of any damage to track side infrastructure. The typical response to such incidents is as described by our network operations manager;
Why do we have a Problem?
The price of copper increased dramatically over the first 5months of 2006, reaching a record high of $8,800 per tonne in May, This figure ties in closely with a large increase in copper thefts from various industries Worldwide, currently Copper prices have moved to $8000 per tonne, fuelled by an increase in demand and a strike at the Worlds largest copper mine in Peru, power cabling, signalling and telecoms cable is stolen from the railway and is stripped away for it's copper content.
6 Comments:
LOL. That's great!! I was wondering what happened.
I can't believe people still steal copper cables. I'd say it is a good reason for BT (or whoever) to invest in fiberoptics!
Codswallop.
They lie.
They are just trying to cover their own shitness. I want photos.
Although if true, I will now stop buying Peruvian bird-friendly coffee until they get themselves back down that mine.
Regardless, as Ben pointed out, networks are supposed to be designed with redundancy in mind. Surely if you're a tier 1 carrier, you don't design your network so that if it breaks in one location there is no other route for the data to travel.
Christian, I don't think they were stealing the telecommunications cables. It sounds like they just got cut in the process:
They will then separate out cables containing copper from telecommunications fibres clamp them and pull the copper cables out of the duct by towing them.
Why don't they just put a high voltage electrically charged cable down the duct too? You know, one that would electrocute the shit out of anyone cutting it?
That'd learn the thieving bastards!
Why don't they just put a high voltage electrically charged cable down the duct too? You know, one that would electrocute the shit out of anyone cutting it?
That'd learn the thieving bastards!
Apparently not. The train I caught yesterday was delayed because similiar thieving bastards had stolen the high voltage overhead lines!
Now that takes balls
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