Telecommunications operators will distribute more than five thousand e-SIM cards roaming emergency services to populations affected by the storms since January 28, and hope to have the mobile network reestablished, even with temporary solutions, within 15 days.
The initiative was agreed upon in a meeting with the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, the National Communications Authority (Anacom) and the main national operators — Digi, Meo, Nos and Vodafone — with the aim of taking stock of the work on the ground, assessing the difficulties that still exist and defining joint mitigation responses, the Government said in a statement.
e-SIM cards roaming emergency services allow users to continue communicating, temporarily using other operators’ networks, guaranteeing access to essential calls, messages and data while the main network is not fully operational.
In addition to the distribution of e-SIM cards, operators indicated to the Government that they hope to have the mobile network reestablished, even with provisional solutions, within the next 15 days, while the fixed network should be fully operational by the end of the first half of 2026.
As for structural and definitive solutions, communications companies expect the work to last at least a year and a half.
“We are talking about work that we recognize is being carried out under very complex conditions”, highlighted Miguel Pinto Luz, quoted in the statement, adding that, as he already had the opportunity to mention, they will not “leave anyone behind”.
“The Government is at the side of the operators to help design solutions and respond to all the problems of each citizen”, he stated.
Leave a Reply