Communication outage impacts over 20,000 residents in Eyjafjörður region of Iceland

A significant communication outage occurred in the Eyjafjörður region of Iceland yesterday, affecting mobile phones, internet access, and TETRA radio systems, which left over 20,000 residents without service for about twenty minutes. The incident highlighted the vulnerability of the telecommunications infrastructure, as all systems operated by different companies were housed at the same facility.

A failure in the backup power system at this shared site led to the simultaneous loss of all communication channels. TETRA systems are particularly crucial for emergency response agencies. Responding to the incident, officials acknowledged its severity, noting that the situation is uncommon in Iceland where such widespread outages typically do not happen.

The Icelandic Telecommunications Authority announced that it is currently assessing the situation and has requested a detailed report from the telecom provider, Míla, which could take several weeks. It is also working on new regulations designed to ensure more reliable and resilient telecommunications, aimed at minimizing the risk of such incidents in the future.

Additionally, emergency services had discussions regarding the implications of this outage with the emergency line operating the TETRA system, emphasizing the need for improved response measures. Míla has initiated immediate repairs and has set up a portable generator to prevent future outages while they implement the necessary fixes. The company has since issued an apology for the disruption and pledged improvements to their systems.