Operators operating in Finland report that the base stations operate at least three hours after the power of the electricity. At the speed of mobile data, the disorder could appear faster.
Lines in the dark. According to media information, a power outage also interfered with telecommunications in Spain. The picture shows journalist Madrid’s open tennis tournament press facilities during a power outage. EPA-EFE/Chema Moya EPA / AOP
Could a large power outage cut off in Finland as well?
On Monday, an exceptionally wide and surprising power outage caused media information in Spain and Portugal also disturbed telephone networks.
– The internet doesn’t work, shortly the calls didn’t work. Trains and metro have stopped, described Kauppalehti, a Spanish journalist living in Madrid Jyrki Palo Monday night.
Finland’s three key telecom operators say that at home, there is relatively strict regulation for the emergency power of base stations at home.
Regulation requires that the base station will continue to operate in the event of a power outage for at least three hours. In practice, it means batteries.
Mobile data would slow down first
The consumer might notice something earlier. According to operators, mobile data speed would slow down soon after a power outage began, as the battery capacity of the base stations would be saved to ensure traditional calls and text messages.
-Maybe during a large power outage, I wouldn’t start streaming with mobile data Netflix with 4K quality. But ordinary data traffic can still be served, says Elisa’s leader of Elisa’s artificial intelligence, special projects and energy area Jukka-Pekka Salmenkaita.
According to DNA, its basic mobile network, ie calls and text messages, would work mainly during a power outage that lasts a maximum of three hours. On the other hand, mobile data connections could be significantly impaired.
According to DNA, data connections in the area of the power failure in the area of the fixed network could stop working completely.
Director of Mobile Networks in Telia Finland Timo Hietalahti Says that base stations also operate with reserve power for at least three hours, but after that their operations are slowly starting to run out.
Hietalahti also says that mobile data connections would slow down when a power failure came first, albeit slightly depending on the base station.
-In a sparsely populated area, where there may not be so much capacity at all, you might not notice it any more. But in the urban area, where there is more use and capacity, data speeds begin to slow down as capacity is reduced to save the batteries of base stations.
Emergency power
If the break was prolonged, the operators would not be inactive, they would convince. If necessary, the stations can be used to spare, that is, in practice, for example, generators.
The base stations have a certain importance of importance, that is, the main stations would be invested first. Similarly, the base stations would be returned to the operation in order of importance when electricity returned.
According to DNA, electricity supply for critical objects is secured for several days with the help of a reserve power machine.
DSAs Department Manager of the DNA Network Management Center Visa Urpelainen says in the release that today operators’ cooperation is already playing well in the event of an exceptional situation.
– Roughly describing 10-15 years ago, each operator sent his or her own person to take the stand on the same destination, and there the cars were standing in a row waiting to plow.
Nowadays, according to Urpelainen, the cooperation is better and there should be no overlapping emergency power.
– We are competitors in sales situations, but the best friends in major disruptions.
In the future even better
Elisa Salmenkaita says that the company is currently reforming its base stations on its reserve power capacity. The aim is that in the event of a power outage, the duration of a reserve force would be speaks of 10 to 20 hours rather than at least three hours required by regulation.
Elisa calls her model a decentralized electricity storage solution, which means that in normal time, excess battery capacity is used by the energy market. In practice, therefore, batteries can be used in the energy reserve market to balance the differences in demand and production of electricity, even if necessary, even on schedule.
According to Salmenkaida, the necessary modifications are ongoing and have already been roughly done in two thirds of Elisa’s base stations.
In February 2024, DNA Towers, an infrastructure company DNA Towers announced that it will also begin to use Elisa’s reserve power solution.
According to Salmenkaida, it indicates that operators are taking the market stations for the better.
– In that sense, one could say reasonably confident that we have quite the best way in Europe in those matters after various operators have made these updates.