The Iberian failure shows the challenges for electricity security for network operators, security

Network operators of all kinds are increasingly concerned about the effects of cyber attacks, but there are also many other security concerns that must also be taken into account – simply ask the telecommunications network and data centers in Spain and Portugal on the effects of A National power failureSomething that the Iberian Peninsula has just experienced.

The power grid suffered on Monday, April 28th, in the middle of the day of the day, which is called “net zero”, which led to a significant disturbance of transport, trade and general life in the two countries and the need for emergency imprisonment in critical sectors such as healthcare and communication. The power grid was brought back online in steps later on the same day, and 99% of the network were restored until the middle of Tuesday. A cyber attack has so far been excluded as the cause of the failure, so This Reuters report.

So what effects did this have on communication services and network operations? For example, Telefónica, for example, activated its crisis committee and turned to backup stream generators and batteries to keep at least some network systems running. But even a few days after the first failure, there are still problems that have to be solved by the great Spanish telecommunications company, which says that it has reached 97.5% operating capacity in its fixed network and 95% in his mobile network in Spain.

Vodafone Spain also called his operations of the crisis committee and received on social media on April 28 to determine that “all network control centers such as data and other systems remain in operation and have sufficient autonomy until the power supply is restored”. The following day at 12 p.m. reported That it had restored 99.5% mobile phone cover and found that “practically all of our fiber and mobile customers can use their services normally”.

Ookla, which monitors the performance of the network performance of the network performance (KPIS), provided a fantastic insight into the effects of the failure to perform the performance of the mobile service in Spain and Portugal in This quickly prepared analysis. Using Data from Its Speedtest Intelligence and Downdetector Platforms, Ookla Analyst Luke Kehoe noted that “Network Performance Progressively Deteriorated as Battery Backups, Where Available, Were Ex How Grid.

The impact reached the climax in the afternoon on Monday. “When the batteries of the backup were broken down. The proportion of Spanish mobile users with a consistent network connection (defined as at least 5 Mbit/s download speeds and 1 Mbit/s upload speed) sank from an output value of over 90%. In a comparison to April 28th. Relax than in Spain.

While all service providers experienced “significant service disorders”, Másorange (the largest operator of mobile phone numbers) and Movistar (Telefónica) in Spain and Vodafone in Portugal were “the largest operator of mobile phone customers) and Movistar (Telefónica) and Vodafone in Portugal.

Of course, digital service infrastructures and service loans were also affected. Cloud Connectivity Platform Cloudflare noted In this blog In Spain, internet traffic volumes fell, when the power grid failed, “since traffic has fallen by around 60% within the next five hours” and “to about 80% during the previous week. Mbit/s.”

In Portugal, internet traffic volumes dropped by around 50% compared to the week earlier, “according to Cloudflare, about 90% under the previous week within the next five hours”. “The power failure also influenced the quality of connectivity at the national level in Portugal. Before the loss of electricity, the average download speeds across the country were around 40 Mbit/s, but only 15 Mbit/s within a few hours after the failure state.”

It is particularly worrying that the alternative energy sources for a very long time do not maintain reliable operations and emphasize the need for the operator community and the industry authority to concentrate more on their F&- and crisis management efforts, which will probably become even more critical if it is still more critical. Infrastructure.

– Ray Le Maistre, editorial director, TelecomTV