Widespread power outage in Spain leaves thousands cut off: Calls and messages nearly impossible

Telecommunications in Spain have been seriously affected by the widespread blackout that occurred around midday across the Iberian Peninsula. Numerous users have reported problems making calls, with many unable even receive dialed carrier calls. Meanwhile, the WhatsApp messaging service is operating at half speed. Some users are able to send messages, but many others are unable to even receive them, and are completely cut off. Numerous users are reporting on social networks like X (formerly Twitter) that their data services are functioning erratically.

Major Spanish telecom companies such as Telefónica and Masorange are studying the incident and working to normalize service as quickly as possible. For its part, Finetwork has already notified its customers of the problems. This newspaper has attempted to contact these companies, but has so far been unsuccessful.

Vodafone Spain, for its part, has reported that, due to circumstances beyond the company’s control, there has been a massive power outage across most provinces in Spain, impacting communications and infrastructure. Vodafone’s mobile network is currently operating at 70% capacity, thanks to backup generators, but how the network remains operational will depend on how long the outage lasts.

At the same time, measures are being taken to maintain communications for as long as possible, prioritizing and managing network resources and capacity in the most efficient way. “Vodafone Spain is advising customers who still have mobile service to use it responsibly and avoid overloading the network,” the company said.

For this same reason, Madrid’s 112 emergency service has requested that people avoid calling unless absolutely necessary. “We are operational thanks to our own backup generators. Please use 112 only for emergency calls,” the service said in a tweet.

In Barcelona, the city council said that Mayor Jaume Collboni is presiding over the CECOR, Barcelona’s operational emergency coordination center, which was urgently convened “to monitor the impacts caused by the lack of power supply and disruptions to telecommunications.”

As for the Internet, experts such as Arturo Azcorra, deputy director of Imdea Networks, warn of its dependence on what are known as intermediate clusters or data switches that are scattered throughout cities, which can only last a few hours without power. This would bring down the network, even though large data centers are protected with clusters of their own that can run indefinitely. “It is as if the central nervous system worked, but not the peripheral one,” says Azcorra.