© dpa
In future, the mobile network in Berlin is set to operate more reliably in the event of disasters such as the major power cut in January.
The Senate agreed on a package of measures with the four major network operators, as Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey (SPD) announced.
One important point here is that the so-called disaster response hubs in the districts are also set to provide a functioning infrastructure for mobile phone coverage in future. The mobile network should remain operational, at least in the vicinity of these hubs, in the event of a power cut, for example. In addition, there will be charging facilities for mobile devices. Until now, the ‘hubs’ in town halls or other public buildings were designed as contact points to provide supplies and information to those affected. Their range of functions is now therefore being expanded.
Following an arson attack on cables on 3 January, believed to have been carried out by left-wing extremists, 100,000 people in 45,000 households and just over 2,000 businesses in south-west Berlin were left without electricity – and often without heating – in many cases for days on end. Landline telephones, mobile networks and the internet were also temporarily paralysed, particularly in the early stages of the crisis. Not even emergency calls were possible, and warning messages could not be received. By 7 January, the power supply had been restored for everyone. According to Giffey, the action plan for the communications networks is a direct result of the incident. It also includes improved reporting procedures and faster access for repair crews to the 3,300 mobile phone masts in the city.
In addition, plans are in place to improve emergency power supply options for these masts, which are often located on rooftops. The aim is also to ensure that those affected in the areas in question can at least make an emergency call and receive warning messages. Giffey expects that the implementation of these measures will, in some cases, take until 2027. “The crisis situation following the attack on our electricity grid at the start of the year demonstrated just how essential functioning mobile communications are,” said the Senator. “We have identified areas for improvement and have been working intensively with mobile network operators over the past few months to bring about improvements in precisely these areas.” The aim is to better prevent outages in future, limit their impact and be able to resume operations more quickly in the event of a crisis. “Emergency communications must be reliably guaranteed even in major crisis situations.”