Switzerland: Blackout instead of back-up: when mobile communications fail in a crisis

Blackout instead of back-up: when mobile communications fail in a crisis

20 minutes online, 2 May 2025 - Translated with DeepL.com

Power outages paralyze mobile networks - what remains of the promise of security in digital communication?

All it takes is a storm - and Switzerland's supposedly stable communications infrastructure collapses. In Valais and the Bernese Oberland, power failures led to a total breakdown of mobile communications. Even emergency calls were no longer possible in many places. What shocked the population was a predictable scenario for critics - and one that was announced. This is because the mobile phone antennas only have an emergency power supply for around one hour. After that, there is digital silence.

While telecoms companies such as Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt have been talking about “network coverage” and “reliability” for years, a glaring deficit is now becoming apparent: the networks are not crisis-proof. The Federal Council had already called for emergency power solutions such as diesel generators in 2024 - but the industry rejected them. The measures were “not feasible in practice”. What remains is the realization that mobile communications are not a reliable infrastructure in an emergency.

These events also shed new light on the increasing digitalization of basic areas of life - including emergency communications, healthcare, education and security. In a system that relies more and more on wireless technologies, dependence on unstable, power-dependent networks is also growing.

From the point of view of the Association for Protection against Radiation, this is doubly problematic: on the one hand, the population is increasingly exposed to permanent exposure to electromagnetic fields - for example through closely meshed mobile phone antennas. On the other hand, it is now becoming apparent that it is precisely this continuous network that fails in an emergency. The narrative that radiation is an acceptable price to pay for security and connectivity is beginning to crumble.

If mobile communications cannot guarantee a reliable basic supply in the event of a crisis, the question of proportionality arises: How much of a burden - in terms of health, ecology, society - is a system worth that fails precisely when it is needed?

The association Schutz vor Strahlung finds: Instead of plugging more and more wireless holes, it would be time to promote real resilience: through robust wired alternatives, independent communication channels and a critical examination of the role of high-frequency technologies in public infrastructure.

Source: 20 minutes online
"Blackout statt Rückhalt: Wenn Mobilfunk in der Krise versagt"

We thank the Swiss association "Verein Schutz vor Strahlung" for posting these articles on their Facebook page - auto-translation from German