Spain government mandates mobile operators to ensure 4‑hour coverage during outages

The Spanish government will issue a royal decree obligating all mobile operators to install battery backup systems so that mobile networks remain operational for at least four hours when electricity is lost. The decree, expected to be approved before the end of 2026, will be implemented in three phases: 50 % of the population will be covered in the first year, 65 % in the second, and 75 % by the third year.

The measure aims to keep emergency calls to 112 reachable during power cuts and was accelerated after a widespread blackout in July 2025 left many citizens without mobile service within minutes. Operators will bear the cost of installing batteries, which is estimated in the hundreds of millions of euros, and will be required to comply progressively as the rollout proceeds.