Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Catalonia Activates Mobile Multi-Operator Unit to Restore Phone Service in Emergencies

The vehicle is meant to keep citizens reachable and preserve official alerts by providing temporary 4G/5G coverage where towers or cabling are damaged.

Overview

  • The Generalitat put a single multi-operator mobile unit into service on Wednesday to provide provisional mobile voice and data in local emergencies.
  • The truck operates as a deployable antenna that links to surviving cell towers or to Starlink satellite backhaul and serves users from Telefónica, Vodafone and MasOrange.
  • Officials say the unit offers 4G and 5G service across roughly a 10–20 km radius and carries about 48 hours of independent power.
  • The project cost €422,500 for the summer deployment and is described as a complementary tool that cannot replace fixed networks or solve very large or nationwide blackouts.
  • The measure responds to past failures such as the October 29, 2024 DANA and the April 2025 blackout, and officials say they may expand or make the service year-round if demand and results justify it.