The Government of Spain, through the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service, has signed a collaboration agreement with the main telecommunications operators and associations of the country to overcome the devastating damages of digital infrastructures caused by the recent Isolated Depression in High Levels (DANA), and with special impact in the province of Valencia. With harmony and unity of action, the agreement formalizes the coordinated work they have been doing since the beginning of the floods, and proposes new measures to make it easier for citizens to solve problems caused by the floods in their telecommunications services.
Among the main commitments is the recovery of the operability of networks and services, restoring electronic communications networks, digital infrastructures and terrestrial broadcasting services damaged by DANA. To this end, the signatories have committed themselves to continue deploying the necessary technical and human resources to repair and complete the reconstruction of the affected infrastructures as soon as possible.
In this regard, the Ministry has indicated that, as of yesterday, 13 November, 98% of the 220,000 fixed telephone lines initially affected had already been recovered, and 99% of the 300,000 lines affected were also recovered in mobile telephony. For this task of ensuring the operational continuity of telecommunications networks and services, which are fundamental to emergency services, operators have made during these days an exceptional effort that this pact recognises.
In addition, operators have undertaken to make available to the users concerned other facilities such as the free offer of certain services or the extension of contracted capacity limits. They have also committed themselves to duplicating SIM cards for free to those who have lost or broken them, and to offering replacement devices in certain cases in which the terminals acquired have been damaged by the effects of DANA, as well as to maintaining customer service channels both remotely and in person, guaranteeing a minimum capacity to respond to the citizens.
These measures are in addition to the one already announced by the Council of Ministers a few days ago for automatic compensation and at least proportional to the time of interruption of services. These commitments may be updated and extended in accordance with new initiatives arising or new entities joining the agreement, strengthening the collective effort to overcome the difficulties caused by DANA.
Minister Óscar López said that “we are proud of the immediate reaction and the progress made by all the parties involved here for the reconstruction of digital connectivity, with a unit of action that has been deploying hundreds of workers and officials in the territory to urgently respond to the requests for aid from those affected”.
López concluded by stressing that “we continue working for the total reconstruction of Valencia, and the spirit of cooperation of this agreement with measures at all levels in the field of digital infrastructures, seeks to help the Valencian citizens recover their normality as soon as possible”.
The ‘Agreement for the early recovery of the digital connectivity of people and companies after the adverse effects of DANA’ has been signed by representatives of American Tower, Aotec, Cellnex, Digi, Digital, Hispasat, More Orange, Telefónica, Totem, Vantage Towers and Vodafone.