Mexican phone company Telefonos de Mexico SAB (TELMEX.MX) said Thursday that workers of Spanish infrastructure company Obrascon Huarte Lain SA (OHL.MC) cut through a fiber optic line during construction work in Mexico City, leaving wireless phone company Telcel without service in parts of the capital for several hours Wednesday.

In a press release, Telmex said the cut in the line, in the western part of the capital, affected Telcel and other customers. Both Telmex and Telcel are units of America Movil SAB (AMX, AMX.MX), the telecommunications company controlled by billionaire Carlos Slim.

Telmex said that instead of reporting the damage to the line, which is marked as being part of its network, OHL covered up the rupture with steel sheets, "which made it difficult to locate the cut in the fiber optic line and repair it." Telmex said it has filed charges with authorities against OHL and Constructora GAM.

No one at unit OHL Mexico SAB (OHLMEX.MX) offices in Mexico City was available to comment. OHL Mexico is controlled by OHL Concesiones.

OHL Mexico has a contract to build a second level on a stretch of the Periferico thoroughfare in Mexico City.

Telmex and Telcel said the fiber-optic line was repaired Wednesday evening.

-By Anthony Harrup, Dow Jones Newswires; (5255) 5980-5176, anthony.harrup@dowjones.com

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