Spain pulls the emergency brake after the blackout: mobile networks must last four hours

Spain is getting serious. After the historic power outage on the Iberian Peninsula, mobile networks should no longer fall silent so quickly during future power cuts. According to Reuters, Digital Transformation Minister Óscar López announced a new decree on 25 June 2026. It is expected to be approved before the end of the year and will require mobile operators to provide at least four hours of network coverage for large parts of the population during power outages.

That may sound like dry regulation, but it is actually a clear warning: a blackout is not only about lights, refrigerators and coffee machines. When the mobile network goes down, many people lose their most important information channel. That was one of the major problems during the large blackout in Spain and Portugal in April 2025. Millions of people wanted to contact relatives, check news or organise help. But in exactly those moments, communication itself can become the weak point.

The Spanish plan is to be introduced gradually. In the first year, the emergency coverage requirement should apply to half of the population, in the second year to 65 per cent and in the third year to 75 per cent. The rules will not only affect classic mobile operators. Operators of important digital infrastructure such as data centres, internet exchange points, satellite systems and submarine cables may also face resilience and security duties if they are large enough.

Network control centres must last much longer. Mid-level management centres should remain operational for at least twelve hours without normal power. Particularly critical control centres, whose failure could affect an entire country, should be able to bridge 24 hours. That shows how seriously Spain is taking the lessons from the blackout.

A more resilient mobile network does not replace private preparedness. Four hours are better than nothing, but they are not a free pass. Batteries can run empty, mobile towers can become overloaded, internet services can fail and emergency call centres can come under pressure. Anyone who relies only on a smartphone in the first minutes of a power outage is relying on technology that itself needs electricity, data links and functioning infrastructure.

For households, the message is simple: the phone matters, but it must not be the only plan. Important phone numbers should be written down on paper. A family meeting point should be agreed in advance. A battery-powered radio remains useful. Power banks should be charged. Important information should also be available offline.

Spain is now responding politically to an experience many people felt very directly at the time: during a blackout, silence can be more dangerous than darkness. When nobody can be reached, uncertainty, rumours, stress and chaos grow quickly. That is exactly why communication belongs in every serious blackout plan.

Source: Reuters, 25 June 2026, Spain to require minimum four-hour mobile coverage in power outages.