UPDATED: BT exchange break-in cuts service - again

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BT has been hit by another exchange robbery, which has reportedly downed internet access in Stepney Green as well as parts of the Docklands.

Just two weeks back, thieves stole £2 million worth of networking equipment from a BT exchange in Mayfair, taking out internet access for people in the area.

Internet service provider Andrews and Arnold (AAISP) use BT’s 21CN network. That ISP said all its users on that network were affected by the Stepney burglary and that it would likely take several hours to be resolved. At 2:00pm today, AAISP reported the fault was fixed.

“The impact is that all of our customers on 21CN are off line as are all other ISPs with 21CN links out of Docklands as we understand it,” the ISP posted on its blog.

AAISP posted a letter it received from BT, which confirmed a break-in at the Stepney Green exchange. “Please be assured that we are doing everything we can to replace the missing hardware and bring you back into service,” BT wrote in the letter, adding that police are investigating.

In a second letter, BT said that the burglary happened at 3:44am, and that nine network cards were taken.

BT confirmed that the theft had taken place, but a spokeswoman said no other details could be provided because the police were still investigating.

IT PRO blogger Dan Jones thinks the incident may be a sign the 21CN network is stuck in the 20th century - read his post here.

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