Das Rettungspaket des britischen Internetanbieters wurde abgesagt, weil Ratten seine Glasfaserkabel durchgebissen hatten – biologisch abbaubare Kabelummantelungen bestehen aus Materialien auf Soja- oder Maisbasis und locken hungrige Ratten an
https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/u-k-broadband-provider-bailout-scuppered-because-rats-chewed-through-its-cables-companys-fiber-network-reportedly-damaged-by-rodents-will-require-an-expensive-fix-to-get-it-up-and-running-again
21 Kommentare
It takes a rare kind of genius to make biodegradable cables
can we just discuss this term for a moment- „biodegradable.“
Who in their right mind would make network infrastructure out of materials designed to eventually rot??
This…. Seems like a really stupid fucking idea.
We already knew this was a problem for over a decade now… so this tell me they were pinching pennies.
Did they hire the old mercedes engineers?
Sounds about right for the UK
Believe it or not they do this in vehicles too. Both my husband and father in law had it happen to their completely separate vehicles.
This sounds like BS, there’s more to it
I would not be surpised if more investigation showed that the company did not properly use, and or, maintain the cable jackets. My bet would be that this application is likely outside of the jacket manufacturer’s recommended usage, and the ISP probably skipped on applying surface treatments that would have prevented the rats from being attracted to the cables.
Too often we see meaningful advances in technology and products get retracted because of high profile misuse. This seems to me like the electronic price tags in stores, they have a huge potential to reduce waste, but companies are abusing them to engage in predatory pricing.
And what MP or burocrate insisted on this during the permit process?
THE PURPOSE OF CABLING IS TO LAST
Ha! When I lived in Vietnam, sharks would sometimes attack the underwater internet cables
The animal kingdom wants us all to touch grass
Where’s the bailout?
When I used to work in IT there was a suburb of the city whose phone lines where so old they where made of lead wrapped in grease paper. The rats loved to chew on the grease paper and the lead oxide was very sweet.
I can understand disposable shopping bags, but in cables??
Auto manufacturers did the same thing with wires under the hood back in the 2010s. Thought they were smart until animals started chewing through the wires in winter when food is scarce.
It’s like they solved a problem nobody had and created a massive new one in the process. The idea of infrastructure designed to break down over time is baffling on its face. You have to wonder what the cost-benefit analysis looked like that greenlit this. Honestly, it feels like a textbook case of sustainability goals completely missing the practical reality.
I have an idea! Is pizza an idea?
Same thing happened with Brunel’s vacuum railway.
The biodegradable aspect sounds absurd for cables, and the more I think about it, the more it seems like an elaborate scam. Get cables in ground, use up money. Cable sheathes degrade quickly, needing replaced. Demand more money for replacement.
This is my ISP – I had no idea they were in such trouble. They’ve been great since I joined in 2024.