Transatlantic Cable Snag: The French leg of...

Transatlantic Cable Snag: The French leg of the TAT-8 transatlantic fiber-optic cable suffered a break last week, marking the second shutdown since the cable went into operation in December, American Telephone & Telegraph Co. announced. The break occurred March 21 on the French spur of the $350-million, ocean-bottom cable about 150 miles off the French coast, AT&T; spokesman Herb Linnen said. The cause of the break was unknown, and French repair crews were waiting for good weather to send a submarine to the scene, Linnen said. Service was restored by using spare capacity in the branch of the cable going to Britain, and from there calls are sent across the English Channel to France.