The federal government’s plan: this is how long mobile communications must continue to function in the event of a power outage

In the future, the Swiss mobile network will continue to function even during power outages. According to the Federal Council’s proposal, the three grid operators (providers) must therefore install emergency power supplies at central locations.

The Federal Council sent a corresponding amendment to the Telecommunications Regulation (FDV) for consultation on Wednesday.

The network must remain operational to enable emergency calling services, public telephone services and access to the internet, he wrote in a statement.

How long should emergency mobile coverage be guaranteed?

The three providers active in Switzerland, Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt, must install emergency power supplies at central locations and at the transmission systems. This is intended to guarantee mobile communications during power outages of up to 72 hours or during so-called power outage cycles on 14 consecutive days.

The Federal Council proposes that the new requirements of the FDV should not apply to video streaming services, as they could overload the network. An exception is videos of general interest.

When will this be implemented?

The providers now have five years to implement the measures regarding emergency call services – and another three years for access to the public telephone service and the internet.

The consultation runs until February 16, 2024.

How much is it?

The Swiss mobile phone providers must bear the costs themselves, the Federal Council writes. And:

Sources

(dsc/sda)