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A technical failure in Telefónica's telecommunications infrastructure has caused serious communication problems across Spain, with fixed telephone lines, internet services, and emergency numbers affected nationwide.
The network incident, which began around 2:00 a.m. Tuesday, according to the service monitoring website Downdetector, has particularly impacted emergency services.
The critical 112 emergency number became inaccessible in several autonomous regions, including Aragon, Extremadura, the Basque Country, and Valencia.
Regional authorities have activated alternative telephone numbers to maintain emergency services while technicians work to resolve the issue.
By 10:30 a.m. local time, Telefónica reported that emergency service communications had been fully restored, though problems persisted with fixed communications (telephone and internet) for some businesses.
According to Downdetector data, 72% of affected users experienced complete service interruption, 18% reported signal loss, and 10% faced total access blockage.
The problems primarily affected fixed internet services, though mobile voice services were also partially disrupted.
"We have performed some network updates that have affected specific services in some companies. We are working to resolve it," a Telefónica spokesperson stated.
The incident may be related to the failure of Telefónica's MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) data network, which provides services to the 112 line and other two-digit telephone numbers that have also experienced disruptions.
Spain's Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service has announced they are "monitoring the situation, requesting precise information and timelines for the solution," according to a ministry spokesperson.
The scheduled network intervention began at 3:00 a.m., after which outgoing calls began experiencing problems. Residential subscribers were initially unaffected but began experiencing issues early in the morning, according to information from Andalusia's Department of the Presidency.
In Valencia, authorities activated the alternative number 96 342 80 00 for emergency services. Aragon's 112 service announced three alternative mobile numbers: 638 63 82 73, 683 13 46 45, and 660 70 58 97.
The Basque Government asked citizens to call 900 112 088 in case of emergency. According to the Security Department, operators at the emergency management center noticed "problems with some of the calls entering the call center" around 4:00 AM, with callers experiencing voice disruptions.
In Andalusia, the 112 service experienced a complete failure between 7:15 a.m. and 8:40 a.m., after which the service began to be reactivated in both regional call centers.
The regional Health and Consumer Affairs Department clarified that the 061 emergency service remains operational, though telephone lines at some health centers are experiencing issues.
This telecommunications failure comes shortly after Spain faced widespread power outages that caused significant disruptions across the country.
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