A network upgrade by Telefonica is being blamed for the disruption.
A widespread communications outage has impacted Spain, occurring shortly after a significant power blackout affected the Iberian Peninsula. The disruption to emergency services, landlines, and internet access was caused by a network update performed by the telecommunications firm Telefonica.
Beginning early Tuesday, the outage impacted regions such as Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia, Andalusia, Aragon, and the Basque Country. The 112 emergency hotline was interrupted in several areas, leading local authorities to provide alternative emergency contact numbers.
Telefonica, Spain’s largest telecom provider, acknowledged that “some network upgrade work which has affected some companies’ fixed communication services (voice and internet).” had occurred. The company stated that the affected systems were isolated and that service teams were working to restore operations.
Telefonica attributed the issues to the network upgrade, stating that service access was “fully restored” by 12:30pm.
The Ministry for Digital Transformation reported being in constant contact with Telefonica throughout the day and has requested a comprehensive report on the incident.
This disruption follows a large-scale power outage that affected Spain and Portugal on April 28, impacting transportation, telecommunications, and public infrastructure. The cause of that blackout remains under investigation, although initial assessments suggest a voltage anomaly triggered automatic safety disconnections.
Spanish Energy Minister Sara Aagesen stated on Tuesday that Madrid has found no evidence indicating the blackout resulted from a cyberattack on power generation control centers.
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