A nationwide phone network has shut down in Spain just weeks after blackouts brought chaos and heavy financial damage on the country.
Emergency services in a number of regions have had to provide alternative telephone numbers after network upgrades by Telefonica appears to have caused the failure.
Landline telephones have been the worst affected, according to reports in Spanish media, but all voice services by Telefonica appear to have been affected to some extent.
“We have carried out some network upgrades that have affected specific services at some companies. We are working to resolve this,” a Telefónica spokesperson said earlier this morning. Some areas reported phone networks returning later in the morning.
Regions including Aragón, Extremadura, the Basque Country and the Valencia community all suffered impacts on their emergency service line, warning that residents would not be able to use the 112 number.
Phone networks have gradually returned in some of the affected areas, with the 112 number restored in the Valencia community, Aragon, La Rioja, and Andalusia, among other areas.
The Downdetector website reports that issues began at around 2am, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais. Of those reporting issues, 72 per cent reported outages, 18 per cent reported no signal, and 10 per cent reported a “total outage” in their area.
Spain’s Ministry for Digital Transformation and Civil Service told the outlet that it is “monitoring the situation, requesting precise information and timescales for a solution”.
In the Basque region, the incident is not affecting all calls but is occurring randomly and beyond the control of the regional government’s Emergency Management Centre.
It came after millions across Spain and Portugal were left in the dark in late April when an unprecedented power outage brought much of the Iberian peninsula to a standstill.
Spain’s electrical grid was down for almost 23 hours before the systems were back up and running as normal, with the outage affecting traffic lights, street lamps, payment terminals, and screens.
Domestic and international transport was badly hit with metro systems grinding to a halt and communication networks faltering, leaving many wondering what had gone wrong. Hundreds of flights were canceled at airports across Spain and Portugal.
Spain has ordered inquiries involving government, security agencies and technical experts. A high court judge has launched a probe into whether a cyber attack was to blame.
The Spanish power grid had been on a knife edge for several days due to power system imbalances, said Carlos Cagigal, an energy expert who advises private firms on renewable and industrial projects.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and power grid operator REE’s chief Beatriz Corredor have both said record levels of renewable energy were not to blame for the blackout.
