Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2026
158. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the efforts undertaken since Storm Éowyn to increase the resilience of mobile infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16269/26]
View answerCommunications infrastructure across the country has seen significant investment of over €5bn over the last eight years.
However, as we are all aware, and notwithstanding those investments, Storm Éowyn had an unprecedented impact on telecommunications networks last winter. The impact of the sustained power loss during the storm, and delays to repair of overhead lines in some areas afterwards, had significant effects on citizens, particularly in rural areas of the North and West.
The extensive damage to the electricity network and the consequent loss of mains power had the most significant impact on the telecommunications networks during that storm. Our modern telecoms networks are heavily reliant on electricity for their operation and while services can be maintained for several hours on battery power, batteries are not designed to cater for power outages of many days. It should be noted that very little direct physical damage was caused to mobile base stations themselves.
I understand that the ESB Networks are undertaking their own resilience programme to mitigate the risk of mains power outages, which should see benefits for everyone, including mobile network operators.
Nonetheless, the extent of service outages experienced in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn last January has placed renewed focus on how resilient our sector is, and what additional measures it can take.
Since January 2025, when Storm Éowyn exposed the inability of the networks to withstand sustained power outages, operators have focused new and additional investments on improving power resilience at key sites. This has involved putting in larger batteries and making more sites ready for mobile power generators in the event of longer power outages.
Beyond investments, my Department continues to engage with industry through the Telecommunications Response and Resilience Group which was established last September:
• To improve the physical and power resilience of networks
• To coordinate and communicate more effectively during emergencies
• And to prioritise key infrastructure to provide minimum levels of connectivity during emergencies
This group, which comprises officials from my Department, representatives from other key departments, the regulator and both fixed and mobile network operators, has been tackling problems that require enhanced coordination and cooperation across industry and government.
One of first key outputs from this group has been the identification of a list of key mobile sites which are being prioritised for resilience and restoration measures. In the event of a future storm, once these sites are restored or kept on air, a basic level of connectivity is maintained across the country. This idea was first suggested at a meeting I convened with industry in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn last year. I am glad to see that it is progressing.
