Mobile and internet services across the Canary Islands have been thrown into disarray this afternoon as Orange customers, along with users of MasMovil, DIGI and Yoigo, reported widespread outages, despite the islands not being directly hit by Spain’s massive power failure.
From around 11.30 this morning, thousands of customers complained they had lost mobile signal and fibre-optic connections. Even Orange’s customer service lines and official website were knocked offline, leaving many users scrambling for answers.
While the Canary Islands themselves have escaped the massive power outage currently gripping mainland Spain and parts of Portugal, telecom experts suggest the disruption is likely linked to the networks' heavy reliance on infrastructure based on the Spanish mainland.
In a public statement, Orange urged customers to restrict their phone use to emergencies only to ease pressure on emergency services and help technicians restore connectivity faster. "Please limit communications to what is strictly necessary and activate energy-saving mode on your mobiles," the company advised.
Other telecoms providers also moved to reassure customers. Vodafone Spain issued its own statement confirming that the blackout had severely impacted communication networks nationwide. Vodafone said its mobile network was still operating at 70% capacity thanks to backup generators, but warned that service could deteriorate if the crisis dragged on. "We recommend that customers with access to mobile communication use it responsibly to avoid overwhelming the service," they stressed.
The disruption comes amid one of the most serious energy crises Spain has faced in recent years. Red Eléctrica de España reported that the blackout began around 12:30pm after a major power fluctuation forced Spain to temporarily disconnect from the European electricity grid.
Although power restoration efforts are underway, officials have warned that it could take between six and ten hours for full normality to return. Meanwhile, sectors including transport, telecommunications, and other essential services continue to suffer serious knock-on effects from the unprecedented outage.
