Criticism is pouring in against Telenor after the population again fails to reach emergency services. The Minister of Digitalization will provide an explanation in the Parliament.
– It is completely unacceptable that this is happening now for the fourth time since the end of August. It is very serious when emergency numbers do not work. People who need help should receive it when they call emergency services.
That is what the director of the Norwegian Communications AuthorityNorwegian Communications AuthorityThis is a Norwegian authority responsible for regulation and supervision of electronic communications in Norway. (Nkom), John-Eivind Velure, says.
It is Telenor that provides the services for emergency numbers in Norway.
– We believe it is necessary to consider whether to have multiple suppliers going forward to prevent this from happening again, says Velure.
Nkom is already conducting an inspection of Telenor after there were problems with the emergency numbers in August, September, and October. Now they are expanding the inspection to include Wednesday’s incident.
– We are not looking to use the harshest sanctioning measures unless we must, but it can range from correcting errors to imposing fines, says Velure.
Will inform
Digitalization and Administration Minister Karianne Tung (Ap) sent a letter to the Parliament on Wednesday requesting to explain the Telenor chaos.
She has requested to do so already Thursday, the ministry informs VG.
– It is very serious when emergency numbers do not work and when people lose their telephone services. That should not happen. It is crucial that people can reach the police, fire, and health services when they need to, she said to NTB earlier on Wednesday.
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Karianne Tung (Ap)
Minister of Digitalization and Administration
She states that she is in continuous contact with Nkom about the issue.
– I have made sure that all available resources at Telenor are working to resolve the problems we are experiencing with telephone services, says Tung.
The fault is due to a power outage
Coverage Director Bjørn Amundsen at Telenor states that the major problems are due to a power outage at one of their central offices.
– We are seeing an improvement in the situation and are continuing the work to rectify the fault, says Amundsen to VG.
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– Customers may experience delays in reaching emergency services. One tip is to hold the line and be patient before being connected, he adds.
Demands that Støre provides an explanation
– It is very serious that people who need immediate help cannot connect through the emergency numbers, and this can pose a danger to life and health in the worst case. In addition, it creates uncertainty and undermines people’s sense of security, says Progress Party leader Sylvi Listhaug.
She demanded earlier on Wednesday that Prime Minister Støre, or the minister who is constitutionally responsible, come to the Parliament to provide an explanation. Now it is Tung who takes on the task.
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Listhaug is only moderately satisfied with the response.
– We had hoped that the government would take this seriously enough that the Prime Minister would come to Parliament. The situation is very serious, and it is important that people can feel secure that the emergency numbers work. We look forward to the minister explaining the situation and expect clear answers.
Here is the question Listhaug is asking the government:
“This autumn there have been four serious incidents where the emergency network has been completely or partially out of service, most recently today, Wednesday, November 13. This has created significant problems for people unable to contact the emergency services. The latest incident is reportedly due to a power outage at a central office. The Progress Party’s parliamentary group believes it is extremely serious that such an isolated incident can knock out large parts of the emergency network and fears it may compromise people’s safety. Can the Prime Minister explain whether the emergency network meets the preparedness it is intended to, what the cause of the extensive problems is, and whether the safety and preparedness for citizens can be said to be maintained?”
– Very serious for the police
The Police Directorate also harshly criticizes the phone company.
– This is not the first time. It has happened several times, just during the autumn, says section leader Jørn Schjelderup to VG.
– The problems have become more frequent, and we are closely following up on Telenor. We want a background for why these problems occur and how they are being resolved.
– It is clear that there is a danger to life and health when the emergency number goes down, not just for the police but also for fire and health services. It also affects our number 02800. That this is very serious for the police is beyond doubt.
– This is something we take very seriously. We will conduct a thorough review of why we had faults today to avoid it happening again.
Schjelderup adds that they are working well with Telenor to try to get the emergency numbers functioning again.
– What they say now is that it is coming back online, but there is an unknown restoration time for the fault that has occurred. It is difficult for us to confirm where it is working and where it is not.
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Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp)
Minister of Justice and Public Security
Justice and Public Security Minister Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) tells VG that she views the incident seriously:
– It is serious that the emergency numbers are not available. The police asks people to use the eight-digit numbers for their police district, which are published on politiet.no. The police are in contact with Telenor, which is working to correct the fault, she says, adding that the Ministry of Justice is being kept informed.
