Storm Kristin revealed Portugal’s heavy dependence on the electrical grid for telecommunications, especially mobile networks that rely on short-duration batteries and suffered both power loss and physical damage. This made service restoration slower and more complex than in previous blackouts.
The event showed that current mobile networks have limited capacity to handle large-scale disasters, making satellite and other non-terrestrial systems essential for emergency communications. Although technologies like direct-to-device satellite connectivity could greatly improve resilience, their adoption in Portugal depends on viable business models, partnerships, and regulatory support.
Overall, integrating satellite communications into emergency and civil protection systems would significantly strengthen Portugal’s preparedness for future crises.
For understanding this better, I caught up with our researcher from radio systems António Rodrigues.
1. What weaknesses in telecommunications in Portugal were exposed by Storm Kristin?
Portugal’s telecommunications infrastructure - particularly mobile communications - is highly dependent on power supplied by commercial electrical grids. While critical telecommunications infrastructure (such as maintenance and control centers of major operators) has redundancies that enable uninterrupted operation for at least 15 days, mobile customer access networks rely on base stations located near users’ terminals.
These base stations are usually powered by the electrical grid. Sometimes they also have small wind generators and/or photovoltaic panels, but essentially, in the absence of grid power, they rely on batteries. These batteries are typically designed to last 3 to 4 hours.
In the case of Storm Kristin, in addition to power outages in the affected region, the storm itself damaged the physical telecommunications infrastructure, including fallen poles, antennas, and equipment. These effects were felt not only on mobile networks but also, for example, on the SIRESP network, which is particularly relevant for national civil protection systems.
When telecommunications towers are designed, they are usually built to withstand winds of around 160 or 180 km/h, as such wind speeds are not common in mainland Portugal. Naturally, wind gusts exceeding these values can endanger physical infrastructure.
2. Why was the restoration of communications more difficult than in other recent blackouts?
As explained above, this case was more difficult to handle than the blackout of April 28 because, in that blackout, the electrical grid itself suffered almost no physical damage. It was shut down and took about 10 hours to restore, which depleted the batteries powering mobile base stations. However, once electricity was restored, telecommunications systems quickly resumed normal operations.
This time, the damage to the electrical grid was so extensive that, according to data from E-Redes, it will likely take more than a month to restore normal conditions. This directly affects the operation of telecommunications systems.
3. Are current mobile networks prepared to respond to disaster situations?
Given the limitations described above, current mobile networks are indeed limited in their ability to respond to very large-scale disaster situations. All operators have a limited number of mobile generators that can replace grid power, some mobile charging systems that can partially recharge the batteries of certain base stations, and some mobile base stations that can be transported to affected areas to enable communications.
These stations are commonly used to reinforce mobile network capacity, for example, during the summer in the Algarve or at large special events, and they can also be used to support communications in disaster or civil emergencies.
Naturally, if each base station had its own generator and the physical infrastructure were not damaged, they would continue operating. However, since each mobile operator owns thousands of base stations, this solution is not economically viable.
In very severe and/or widespread disaster situations, it is important to have redundancies using satellite systems or HF-based systems (which usually have low capacity).
4. What is direct-to-device (D2D) technology, and what advantages would it have in emergencies?
D2D technology enables a smartphone to connect directly to a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite without relying on a terrestrial network. This allows coverage of areas on the Earth’s surface that are not covered by terrestrial networks, either because they are not economically viable or because, in the event of a disaster, they are temporarily unavailable.
This technology is therefore intended as a complement to terrestrial networks and is part of the NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks) concept being developed within standardization groups working on 5G and future 6G technologies.
5. Why is this technology not yet commercially available in Portugal?
The introduction of new technologies always depends on business models that are attractive to both users and operators, as well as on partnerships with international technology providers. It therefore depends on the technology being accessible in Portugal and on the availability of terminals that can connect directly to satellites.
An example mentioned in the article shows that although some users with specific terminals can access the Starlink network from a smartphone, in Portugal, a specific kit is required to use the network. This kit is small and portable, but not something that can be carried in a jacket pocket.
6. What roles do operators and the regulator play in implementing these solutions?
As mentioned earlier, operators will offer the service when it becomes economically attractive and when they have agreements with satellite service providers for the Portuguese market. There may also be mixed offerings, where Starlink provides services directly while partnerships are established (for example, Vodafone with AST SpaceMobile, of which it is already a partner, or MEO with Lynk Global).
The regulator should not create barriers to the availability of the service, while still following any provisions that may be defined at the European level, as well as any limitations imposed for geostrategic reasons.
7. Can the use of satellite equipment by firefighters and civil protection make a difference in crises?
It can make an enormous difference (in fact, during this crisis, a fire brigade commander was shown making a phone call using a satellite terminal). The disasters most likely to occur in Portugal are earthquakes, wildfires, floods, and severe windstorms, particularly in coastal areas.
For example, a very strong earthquake in Lisbon would destroy building infrastructure and telecommunications, severely restrict movement across much of the city, and require electricity to be shut down to avoid fires and gas explosions. The situation could be even worse if a tsunami were associated, as in 1755.
An earthquake in Haiti destroyed nearly all telecommunications systems; flash floods in Madeira destroyed fixed fiber-optic connections, isolating municipalities; and the attack on the Twin Towers in New York left lower Manhattan without telecommunications. In Haiti and Madeira, emergency communications were initially re-established using satellite communications.
Any present or future solution, such as the development of a successor system to SIRESP, should include a component that is not based on terrestrial systems, potentially combining satellite solutions and/or UAVs (drones) to support disaster response.
8. Is satellite internet, such as Starlink, a viable alternative in scenarios of total network failure?
Yes, but providing such systems at current prices to all emergency forces would be too expensive to be immediately realistic. Additionally, it is a commercial service that is not directly controlled by the government.
However, having even a limited number of terminals available for use in isolated situations, such as what occurred in the Central region, would always be an investment worth considering.
An example of this alternative is Starlink’s use in Ukraine, where several thousand terminals have been deployed to overcome telecommunications network failures caused by the war.
9. Will satellite communication on ordinary smartphones become a reality in Portugal in the near future?
As mentioned, this depends on the business models of satellite operators and terrestrial network operators. Portuguese mobile networks already offer high-quality and extensive coverage, so most individual users do not feel the need for satellite connectivity across most of the territory.
This perception changes, however, in areas with low fiber-optic coverage, leading thousands of Portuguese users to adopt Starlink as their primary connection or as a backup in case other systems fail.
If this number and demand increase, the business model will become more attractive, and prices will decrease, especially if access via smartphones becomes possible.
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