A network update carried out by Telefónica on Tuesday affected “certain services in some companies” on its landline lines, including the 112 emergency number. According to sources within the company, Telefónica is working to resolve these issues.
This incident led to a drop in the accessibility of the 112 emergency number, affecting several autonomous communities, such as Aragon, the Basque Country, Extremadura, and the Valencian Community. During this time, alternative phone numbers could be used to report emergencies. However, service has been gradually restored, and the 112 emergency number is now accessible again in most parts of the country.
The Valencian Government’s Emergency Coordination Center has activated the number 963 428 000 as an alternative contact point for the 112 service due to the “incidents” registered on the national communications network. However, it is reported that the 112 service is now back in operation.
Andalusia also experienced an outage of 112, which is being gradually restored, although incidents continue to be reported. The Ministry of Health and Consumer Protection has clarified that the emergency number 061 is available as an alternative contact option.
The Basque government has asked the population to call 900 112 088 in case of an emergency, as some people have experienced difficulties reaching 112.
According to the Ministry of Security, the operators of the emergency call center encountered “problems with some incoming calls to the call center” around 4:00 a.m. Specifically, some callers had to “insist more frequently on the call,” and voices were interrupted during the connection.
In Aragon, three mobile phone numbers were activated for emergency calls due to the aforementioned landline incidents, as reaching the 112 emergency call center was difficult. The government of Aragon announced that alternative mobile phone numbers 638 63 82 73, 683 13 46 45, and 660 70 58 97 are available to contact the 112 emergency service while the problems persist.
Extremadura also reported difficulties with the emergency hotline: “At 112 Extremadura, we have been working since the beginning to ensure that citizens are not affected.”
According to Downdetector, a service that reports on service problems in companies, the incidents began shortly after 2:00 a.m. this morning and primarily affected landline internet service, with 72% of reports referring to this. Another 18% involved a lack of signal, and 10% reported a “total blackout.”
