PARIS/STOCKHOLM/MILAN (Reuters) – Once unthinkable, this winter, if blackouts or energy rationing cut some of the region’s mobile networks, mobile phones could go out of service across Europe. have a nature.
Russia’s decision to cut gas supply through key European supply routes in the wake of the Ukraine conflict has increased the likelihood of power shortages. In France, the situation is exacerbated by the shutdown of several nuclear power plants for maintenance.
Telecommunications industry officials say they fear a harsh winter will put Europe’s telecommunications infrastructure to the test and companies and governments will try to mitigate the impact.
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Many European countries now don’t have enough backup systems to deal with large-scale power outages, increasing the likelihood of cell phone outages, four telecom executives said.
EU member states such as France, Sweden, and Germany are trying to ensure that communications can continue even if a power outage drains the backup batteries installed in thousands of cellular antennas spread over their territory.
There are nearly 500,000 telecom towers in Europe and most of them have battery backup that lasts about 30 minutes to operate mobile antennas.
France
In France, a plan put forward by electricity distribution company Enedis includes potential blackouts of up to two hours in a worst-case scenario, two sources familiar with the matter said.
Common blackouts only affect parts of the country on a rotating basis. Critical services such as hospitals, police and government will not be affected, sources said.
Enedis, a division of the French government, telecom operator and state power company EDF (EDF PA)according to sources, held talks with the French government over the summer on the issue.
The French Telecommunications Union (FFT), the lobby group representing Orange (ORAN PA)Bouygues Telecom (BOUY PA) Altice’s SFR spotlighted Enedis for failing to exempt antennas from power outages.
Enedis declined to comment on the content of discussions with the government on this matter.
In a statement to Reuters, Enedis said all patrons would be treated equally in the event of an exceptional blackout.
It said sections of the network could be segregated to supply priority customers such as hospitals, major industrial facilities and the military, and it would be up to local governments to add the carrier’s infrastructure to the list of priority customers. I was.
A French finance ministry official familiar with the negotiations said: “By this winter, we may have better knowledge of the issue, but separating mobile antennas[from the rest of the network]is not easy.” rice field.
A French Finance Ministry spokeswoman declined to comment on meetings with Enedis, the Telecom Group and the government.
Sweden, Germany, Italy
Telecommunications companies in Sweden and Germany have also expressed concerns to the government about potential power shortages, sources familiar with the matter said.
Sweden’s telecommunications regulator, PTS, said it was working with telecom operators and other government agencies to find a solution. This includes talking about what happens when power is rationed.
According to a PTS spokesperson, the PTS is funding the purchase of mobile fuel stations and mobile base stations to connect to mobile phones and cope with longer outages.
Italy’s telecom industry group told Reuters it wanted mobile networks exempt from blackouts and energy-saving shutdowns and would bring this up to Italy’s new government.
Telecommunications lobby chief Massimo Sarmi said in an interview that blackouts increase the chances of electronic components failing.
traffic flow
Telecommunication equipment manufacturer Nokia (NOKIA HE) and Ericsson (ERICb. ST) is working with mobile operators to mitigate the impact of power shortages, three sources familiar with the matter said.
Both companies declined to comment.
European operators need to overhaul their networks to cut excess power usage and modernize equipment with power-efficient radio designs, four operators say .
To save power, telecom companies use software to optimize traffic flows, causing towers to “sleep” when not in use and turning off various spectrum bands, sources familiar with the matter said. said.
Carriers are also working with governments to ensure that plans are in place to maintain critical services.
In Germany, Deutsche Telekom has 33,000 mobile radio sites (towers) and its mobile emergency power system can only support a small number of base stations simultaneously, a company spokesperson said. increase.
Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) A mobile emergency power system, relying primarily on diesel, will be used in the event of prolonged outages.
With about 62,000 mobile towers in France, the industry will not be able to equip every antenna with new batteries, said FFT president Liza Bellulo.
Accustomed to uninterruptible power supplies for decades, European countries typically lack generators to back up power for long periods of time.
One telecommunications industry executive said, “In much of Europe, where electricity is fairly stable and good, we may be a little spoiled.” may be less than
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Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain in Paris, Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm and Elvira Pollina in Milan. Additional reporting by his Inti Landauro in Madrid. Edited by Matt Scuffham and Jane Merriman
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