Estonia introduces domestic roaming during the most severe crises — ERR News

In Estonia, from October 1, mobile subscribers will be able to connect to another operator’s network if their provider’s network is damaged during a crisis situation. The new domestic roaming mechanism will operate nationwide, ERR News reports.

Roaming for the most serious emergencies

The mechanism was provided for in the Crisis Situations and National Defence Act, which Estonia’s parliament adopted in the summer. It applies to the country’s three largest operators: Elisa, Tele2 and Telia.

According to Mart Laas, a representative of the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs, a subscriber’s phone will automatically select an available network at their location if the home network is not working. The system will be used throughout Estonia, rather than in individual counties.

At the same time, domestic roaming is not planned to be activated because of ordinary power outages that may occur after autumn storms. It is intended for the most severe emergencies, including those related to national security, when an operator’s network has suffered significant damage and restoring it will require a long time.

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Operators’ preparations

Tele2 Technical Director Tanel Sarri said that the operator had been preparing for various crisis scenarios. According to him, the company had created backup external connections and ensured the readiness of batteries and generators.

Tele2 has about 1,500 telecommunications antennas across the country, located on towers and building rooftops. The most important network nodes are equipped with generators, while smaller sites have battery backup power to maintain coverage, primarily outdoors.

The law also consolidated three existing laws in the fields of national defence and crisis management into a single legal framework, defined tasks for local governments and introduced a nationwide crisis plan.