The SIRESP communication network has been embroiled in numerous controversies since its inception, undergoing significant changes following failures in the 2017 fire response, yet it faced limitations again during this week’s blackout.
Despite substantial modifications and investments of hundreds of millions of euros, the Sistema Integrado de Redes de Emergência e Segurança de Portugal (SIRESP), Portugal’s emergency communication network, once again failed critically during the general power outage last Monday, affecting security forces, firefighters, and emergency medical services (INEM).
SIRESP is the exclusive communication network of the Portuguese state for command, control, and coordination in all emergency and security scenarios, catering to the needs of over 40,000 users and handling more than 35 million calls annually.
Problems Since Before Operations Began in 2013
The issues with this system, primarily designed for the communications of security forces, firefighters, and civil protection and emergency agents, began while it was still being conceptualized during António Guterres’ governments (1995-2002). These issues persisted through legal challenges during the administrations of Durão Barroso, Pedro Santana Lopes, and José Sócrates.
It wasn’t until March 2013 that this communication system became operational nationwide. However, its weaknesses became evident that year during a fire in Serra do Caramulo, where two firefighters lost their lives. Earlier, in a January storm in Pedrógão Grande, SIRESP was also criticized for failures.
A report from the Ministry of Internal Administration concluded that during the August 2016 fire in the municipalities of Abrantes and Sardoal, the emergency communication system encountered issues, with the situation only normalizing after 17 hours.
The major SIRESP failures occurred in 2017 during the Pedrógão Grande fires and the October 15 fires, which resulted in over 100 fatalities.
Following these public system failures, several changes were made to SIRESP, equipping the network with 451 additional satellite antennas and 18 electrical redundancy units.
The State purchased the private operators’ shares in SIRESP—Altice and Motorola—for seven million euros, taking full ownership in a transaction completed in December 2019.
After multiple contracts with private operators and a transitional management model, new companies began operations in March 2023, following the international public tender for operation and maintenance services.
The international public tender for SIRESP service provision was launched by the Socialist government in June 2022, comprising seven lots and valued at 75 million euros for five years, with the winning companies continuing service provision to this day.
The companies currently operating SIRESP are Altice Labs, Motorola, NOS, Moreme, Omtel, and No Limits.
SIRESP Contracts Under Judicial Scrutiny
In October 2022, the Judiciary Police conducted searches at the Secretariat-General of the Ministry of Internal Administration, four companies, and three private residences connected to SIRESP contracts.
Siresp SA’s 2021 financial report stated that the system “is nearing the end of its lifecycle,” highlighting the need to transition to 4G and 5G networks to avoid “critical communication service interruptions.”
“The current SIRESP network is nearing the end of its lifecycle, making evolution necessary. SIRESP’s communication operator must transition to LTE [long-term evolution for mobile data transmission] 4G/5G to prevent interruptions in critical communication services,” stated the document, signed by former board chair Sandra Perdigão Neves.
The public company Siresp S.A has been leaderless for over a year since Paulo Viegas Nunes stepped down as president in late March 2024.
90 Days to Develop a Plan for Company Replacement
After Monday’s failure during the blackout, the Government announced the formation of a “technical and multisectoral working group” to facilitate the “urgent replacement” of the SIRESP network, with a reporting deadline of 90 days.
The task force, announced by the Ministry of Internal Administration, led by Margarida Blasco, and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, led by Miguel Pinto Luz, is tasked with developing a technical-strategic study within the next 90 days.
The Government emphasizes that SIRESP “demonstrated structural and operational limitations under high operational demand scenarios,” necessitating a new system that is “more robust, reliable, resilient, and interoperable.”
Last week, the Government had already suspended the dissolution of the company managing SIRESP and decided to allocate up to 19.5 million euros in compensatory indemnity to ensure its continued operation in 2025.
In a resolution approved by the Council of Ministers on April 10 and published last week in the Diário da República, the Government cited the scheduling of early legislative elections for May 18 as the reason for suspending the closure decision.
The dissolution of the company managing SIRESP, with responsibilities transferring to the Secretariat-General of the Ministry of Internal Administration, had been determined by the previous government led by António Costa but was suspended initially due to early legislative elections on March 10, 2024.
