The Commission for Communications Regulation and the Government have announced a series of new measures to strengthen Ireland’s telecommunications networks after the widespread disruption caused by Storm Éowyn earlier this year.

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan told Government this week that work is under way to improve emergency response and resilience standards across the sector. He said the January storm had an unprecedented impact on telecoms infrastructure, particularly in rural parts of the North and West, where power loss and delays in repairing overhead lines caused major difficulties for citizens.

Since then, Government, industry and ComReg have worked closely to address weaknesses in preparedness and response. Mr O’Donovan said the sector had recognised that improvements to resilience and emergency response were vital. He welcomed the efforts by network operators to strengthen their systems and engage with his department and ComReg to reduce the effects of future storms.

“It is encouraging to see industry take efforts to make their networks more resilient and to engage with my Department and ComReg to reduce the impacts of future storms. It is imperative that we continue with this momentum, and I look forward to seeing further progress,” he said.

A new Telecommunications Response and Resilience Group, chaired by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, has been set up to coordinate the sector’s efforts. Its work will focus on improving the physical and power resilience of networks, ensuring better communication during emergencies, and prioritising key infrastructure to maintain minimum levels of connectivity during severe weather.

Operators have carried out independent reviews of their networks and have committed to additional measures, including extra backup power, greater redundancy in core connections, preventative maintenance and increased use of satellite links to provide alternative routes in the event of outages.

Separately, ComReg has published new information on steps it is taking to protect services during severe weather. It confirmed that more than €1 million in credits and refunds have already been issued to customers affected by prolonged service interruptions during Storm Éowyn. The regulator said it continues to monitor providers to ensure customers are not charged for services that were unavailable and that refunds are processed quickly.

ComReg has also launched a new public information page at comreg.ie/severeweather to help people prepare for possible outages. It advises consumers to explore backup options such as mobile broadband modems and Wi-Fi calling when power or network connections are lost. The regulator is reviewing how companies communicate outage information and may set minimum standards to ensure greater accuracy and timeliness.

ComReg is also working with service providers and government departments to identify priority mobile sites outside major cities that should be protected to maintain a basic level of voice coverage during extreme weather.

As part of its preparations for the coming winter, ComReg has expanded its annual resilience review with operators to ensure lessons from Storm Éowyn are reflected in current plans.

Mr O’Donovan also paid tribute to An Post staff for their work during the storm, noting their assistance to emergency services in contacting people in remote communities affected by the weather.