The Undersecretariat of Telecommunications (Subtel) formally instructed companies in the sector on Tuesday, October 13, to activate their emergency protocols in response to the weather front affecting the Metropolitan Region, according to CNN Chile.
The agency announced the measure on its X account. According to a post by @subtel_chile, companies were asked to activate emergency protocols. The undersecretariat added that operators had already been formally notified to activate those protocols and step up network monitoring.
The post does not specify which companies received the notice or what the protocols entail. It also does not say whether mobile telephone or internet service failures have been recorded in the capital so far.
The instruction coincides with power outages in Santiago caused by thunderstorms. Energy Minister Ximena Rincón reported that 36,000 customers were without power at that time. Of those, the minister said, service was expected to be restored soon to around 10,000 in the municipality of Quilicura.
Rincón said her ministry would continue monitoring the situation without putting workers or families at risk. Telecommunications networks depend partly on the electricity supply, so prolonged outages test the backup systems for antennas and equipment.
The National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) declared a Red Alert in the Metropolitan Region for thunderstorms and hail. That measure was also activated on Tuesday, when rain and lightning forced the agency to raise its alert for Santiago to the highest level.
As of publication, neither Subtel nor the companies had provided a report on network disruptions. There was also no deadline for restoring electricity to the remaining 26,000 homes and business premises outside Quilicura.