Major telecommunications networks across Spain suffered a widespread outage early Tuesday, following a scheduled network update by Telefónica.
The disruption has affected both mobile and fixed-line services across the country. Madrid, Barcelona, and several other major cities reported severe service interruptions.
All major telecom providers, including Movistar, Orange, Vodafone, Digimobil, and O2, are experiencing significant downtime. Users report being unable to make calls or access the internet.
Officials say the problem began after a routine network update by Telefónica. The update triggered a larger system failure, affecting multiple companies that share critical infrastructure.
This is the second major disruption in less than a month. On April 28, a major power outage impacted both Spain and Portugal, raising concerns about the resilience of the telecommunications sector.
Emergency Services Affected
One of the most serious issues is the failure of emergency lines. The 112 emergency number is down in several regions, including Extremadura, Aragón, the Basque Country, and the Valencian Community.
Regional authorities have activated alternative emergency contact numbers to ensure public safety. Spain’s Civil Protection agency advised people to use 091 for police or 061 for medical emergencies if 112 is not working.
Companies Respond to the Crisis
Telecom companies have deployed emergency response teams, similar to those used during the April blackout. Vodafone Spain said it is running on backup generators and operating at limited capacity.
“We are prioritizing critical infrastructure and managing network resources to maintain essential communications for as long as possible,” Vodafone said on social media.
The incident follows recent warnings from industry experts about vulnerabilities in Spain’s mobile networks. During the April outage, download speeds in some areas dropped by up to 85%.
Telefónica, which recently partnered with Nokia to strengthen its enterprise services, confirmed the outage. The company said technical teams are working urgently to restore service.
Authorities Urge Public Cooperation
Government officials are asking the public to reduce non-essential calls and data use. This will help avoid further strain on the networks while recovery efforts continue.
