Is a customer causing internet disruption?

Vodafone in Düsseldorf
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Is a customer causing internet disruption?

Vodafone logo in front of the company’s German headquarters in Düsseldorf.
Photo: DPA / Federico Gambarini

Düsseldorf Around 1,000 Vodafone customers in Düsseldorf had problems with their home internet connections for several days. Even phone calls do not go smoothly. The offender could be one of the customers himself. Maybe the excavators also have to go inside.

Since February 27, part of the Vodafone cable network in the Hafan and Unterbilk region has been disrupted. “Internet and telephone access for a total of 986 customers is seriously affected,” said group spokesman Volker Petendorf at the request of our editorial team.

These cable customers experience repeated Internet connection failures and severely reduced bandwidth, up to and including total Internet failure. When telephoning to individual customers, cracking, noise and an artificial-sounding voice result. The reason for this is the so-called “local return path interrupt”.

“The reason for this is mostly antique, faulty or illegally operated equipment that a customer puts into operation without knowing that it is bothering all of his neighbors,” Petendorf explained. These devices sent interference signals, which then locally restricted Internet and telephone access to the affected area of the cable network.

“Despite the in-depth measurement, finding the source of interference is often very time-consuming,” Petendorff said. It can be localized only step by step and can be determined only sporadically, i.e. whenever the affected equipment is currently in operation. Television reception in Vodafone mobile network, DSL landline network and Vodafone cable network is not affected.

Vodafone’s technicians have been trying to isolate this return path since February 27. There will also be measurements and on-site analysis on Wednesday. “As soon as the source of the interference is determined, further operations are stopped,” Petendorf said. If this is not possible, heavy equipment will have to be used: civil engineering work and network conversion will have to be done to make the source of interference harmless and eliminate local restrictions.

According to Vodafone, a return path jammer – also known as a return path jammer – is one of the most common causes of Internet and telephony disruptions in Germany. According to a Vodafone spokesperson, affected customers have been asked to be patient and apologize.