U.K. internet provider's bailout cancelled because rats chewed through its fiber optic cables — biodegradable cable jackets use soy- or corn-based materials, attracting hungry rats

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They need to hire cats for security.

a rat in an alley
(Image credit: Getty Images)

G.Network, a broadband internet provider focused on London, England, that mostly uses fiber optic lines, has entered administration (similar to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy) after a potential deal fell through because of rats. According to The Telegraph, the company was £300 million (more than $411 million) in debt and only had 25,000 paying subscribers. Community Fibre was considering acquiring the company’s assets, but decided against it after discovering that its cables suffered from extensive rodent damage. Biodegradable cable covering complicated matters, as they attracted rats.

“Rodents like ducts and they like fibers, which are very tasty,” Community Fibre chief Graeme Oxby told the newspaper. “It’s not something we’ve been particularly interested in because we think it’s got quite a lot of structural issues and would be quite an expensive fix.”

Internet fiber optic cables have layers of protection, including conduits or ducting, casing, and insulation. This makes them robust enough that it would require a power tool to saw through them. However, they’re still no match for rodent teeth. Rats can easily chew through cables, using these protective layers for nesting.

Aside from this, The Telegraph reports that the majority of G.Network’s lines are located under the middle of roads, not sidewalks. This makes repair costly, as the company has to close thoroughfares when it needs to replace damaged fiber. Furthermore, it causes disruption, causing traffic to back up in already congested London.

Community Fiber refused to bid on the company, with Oxby telling the newspaper that it hasn’t even conducted a technical assessment of the distressed broadband firm. He also added that other factors were driving the decision not to acquire its competitor. Because of this, the future of G.Network and its rat-damaged fiber optic network remains unclear.

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Jowi Morales
Jowi Morales
Contributing Writer

Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He’s been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he’s been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics.

13 Comments Comment from the forums
  • ezst036
    Bailouts for billionaires makes the world go round.
    Reply
  • usertests
    CONSUME THE SOY
    Reply
  • ferdnyc
    "Rodents like ducts and they like fibers, which are very tasty,” Community Fibre chief Graeme Oxby told the newspaper. “It’s not something we’ve been particularly interested in..."
    I find this very confusing. I guess by "it" he was referring to G.network and/or its purchase, rather than the company's physical fiber assets. (Making the quote feel like a bit of a whiplash topic change.) But even still, they're a fiber company too! So it makes you wonder how their own fiber isn't in the same state, if it's so apparently unremarkable to have rats dining on it.
    Reply
  • edzieba
    Ah, "Soy wiring", the bonkers myth that refuses to die. The reality is:
    1) That rats will chew any polymer with no preference for what feedstock the monomer was derived from2) The feedstock used is irrelevant to the final polymer. The same way that rayon made from cellulose feedstock from Bamboo is identical to rayon made form cellulose from any other plant matter ('bamboo fibre' is a pure marketing invention).

    Nylon doesn't smell like crude oil, Rayon does not smell like plants, and PVC does not smell like soybeans.
    Reply
  • American2021
    Haha, omg. They're in London of course. "G.Network is a diverse and inclusive company and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Our network will serve Londoners in all their amazing diversity. That's why we want our workforce, as far as possible, to reflect that diversity."

    The diversity ignored the rats and now they're in chapter 11 bankruptcy. IQ matters.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    ezst036 said:
    Bailouts for billionaires makes the world go round.
    Did you read the article? Because, it looks to me like the term "bailout" was only used as clickbait.

    To be accurate, title should've said its "acquisition" was cancelled. Bailout implies government money, yet none was at stake.

    I think I'm going to make a more concerted effort to avoid Jowi's articles, from now on.
    Reply
  • beyondlogic
    Admin said:
    A British broadband internet provider refused to buy a distressed competitor as its entire fiber network has reportedly been chewed up by rats and rodents.

    U.K. internet provider's bailout cancelled because rats chewed through its fiber optic cables — biodegradable cable jackets use soy- or corn-based... : Read more

    a yes put a food substance as a jacket around wires what could possibly go wrong.
    Reply
  • waltc3
    Biodegradable fiber-optic cable coverings? Now I've heard it all...;) You want your cables to last as long as possible, to be as durable as you can make them, and covering them in rat food that would disintegrate even if the rats turned it down--it's just incredible...;) Whew.
    Reply
  • toyotabedzrock
    Just add a bitterant to the sheath material mix.
    Reply
  • bill001g
    This is very different that the way most fiber is installed in the USA. Maybe because it is a large city that already has massive amounts of stuff underground.

    All the fiber I have seen installed they used a directional boring rig and pull plastic conduit though the ground. They then pull fiber though those conduits. A rat will not fit though the conduit itself. At best they could get into the boxes that are every few hundred feet where the conduit pulls start and end. Most those are concrete with metal covers. If the fiber cable itself would get damaged they can pull a new one though conduit in hours. I can't see a rat damaging the conduit itself any more than they damage underground plastic water and sewer pipe.

    They show them digging long trenches is roads which has to be the most expensive way to run fiber.
    Reply