- Through this agreement, Cellnex Telecom, Euskaltel, MasMovil, Orange, Telefónica, Vodafone and the National Association of Operators of Telecommunications and Internet Services (AOTEC) want to show their commitment to society in these moments of special difficulty in which connectivity is a fundamental element for citizenship, both from the personal and social point of view, as well as from the workplace
- Companies commit to make every effort to ensure connectivity, network monitoring and operation capabilities, and speedy response to incidents, especially with regard to networks supporting emergency services.
- The agreement recalls the importance of the responsible use of communication services so that the integrity of the networks is not put at risk
The third Vice President of the Government and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, today signed an agreement with the main telecommunications companies operating in Spain, by which they undertake to make the greatest efforts to guarantee connectivity, capabilities operation and supervision of networks and speed of response to incidents, especially with regard to networks that support emergency services.
The agreement has been signed, in addition to the third vice president of the Government, by the CEO of Cellnex Telecom, Tobías Martínez; the CEO of Euskaltel, José Miguel García; MasMovil CEO, Meinrad Spenger; the CEO of Orange Spain, Laurent Paillassot; the president of Telefónica Spain, Emilio Gayo; the CEO of Vodafone Spain, Antonio Coimbra; and the president of the National Association of Telecommunications and Internet Services Operators (AOTEC), Antonio García, in an event developed by videoconference in which the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures, Roberto Sánchez, has also participated.
During the meeting, the third vice-president of the Government conveyed her gratitude to the telecommunications companies for their responsibility, as well as to all the workers who every day strive to reinforce, supervise and maintain the quality of telecommunications in this health emergency situation. .
Through this agreement, the signatory telecommunications operators express their commitment to society in these moments of special difficulty in which connectivity is a fundamental element for citizens, both from a personal, social and labor point of view. In this way, companies acquire additional commitments to the guarantees of maintenance of the connectivity service included in Royal Decree-Law 8/2020, of March 17, on extraordinary urgent measures to face the economic and social impact of COVID- 19.
According to the agreement signed today, during the period of the alarm state, the calls made to the health care number 061 will be free for the client and also free in interconnection for the operators, each assuming their own network costs.
In addition, operators undertake to develop special measures to expand, at no additional cost to the user, services associated with mobile phone connectivity contracts for private, self-employed and small business customers, always subject to proper use of the service since the general provision of the service is not put at risk.
They also undertake to keep customer service channels active, enrich the audiovisual packages they offer their users with additional content, and contribute to the measures developed by the Administration to promote distance work, distance learning and health care. remote.
The agreement also recalls the importance of promoting the responsible use of communication services so that the integrity of networks is not put at risk, in particular, the application of legal measures against illegal traffic and irregular traffic for fraudulent purposes. in electronic communications.
