Spain experienced a major telecommunications outage that disrupted emergency phone lines across several regions. The incident occurred shortly after a severe power outage raised concerns about infrastructure reliability in the country.**
Major Telecommunications Outage Disrupts Emergency Services in Spain**
Major Telecommunications Outage Disrupts Emergency Services in Spain**
A nationwide phone network failure impacts emergency lines just weeks after a significant power blackout.**
A significant telecommunications outage occurred in Spain on Tuesday, affecting emergency phone services across the nation for several hours. This disruption comes only weeks after a substantial blackout had already raised concerns about the country’s infrastructure resilience.
Telefónica, one of Spain's largest telecommunications providers, announced that the failure stemmed from a "planned network upgrade." This upgrade particularly impacted landline and internet services, rendering individuals unable to access the national emergency number, 112, in several areas.
Regions such as Valencia, Aragón, and the Basque Country reported interruptions in emergency communications, prompting local authorities to share alternative mobile numbers on social media. Meanwhile, in Catalonia and Extremadura, officials confirmed that their 112 services were impacted but reassured the public that contingency plans were in place. The government of Andalusia also reported nationwide issues regarding emergency lines but stated that services were gradually being restored.
By late Tuesday morning, both Telefónica and Spain’s Minister for Digital Transformation, Óscar López, announced that normal service had been resumed, thanking the company for its prompt response. Telefónica, which boasts over 41 million users and controls a significant portion of Spain’s landlines, indicated that the outage was resolved.
Downdetector, a platform that monitors service disruptions, recorded a notable increase in connectivity reports from other telecommunications companies, including Movistar, O2, and Orange.
This incident follows a major blackout last month, which had left millions stranded as train and air travel came to a standstill and many businesses were forced to close. Public sentiment regarding the government's handling of these infrastructure issues remains critical, as ongoing investigations continue to explore the causes of both the blackout and the recent communications failure.
