Two Months After Storm Kristin, Portugal's Telecoms Recovery Exposes a Fragile Fixed-Line Network

Nearly two months after Storm Kristin tore through central Portugal, the country's three major telecommunications operators have delivered a sobering status report: while mobile networks are back to normal, restoring fixed-line services — particularly fibre broadband — remains a grinding, costly process that may not be complete until the end of April at the earliest.

The update, compiled from statements each operator gave to the Lusa news agency this week, paints a picture of an infrastructure that proved far more vulnerable to extreme weather than the industry or regulators had anticipated.

MEO: 95.9 Percent Restored, Full Recovery by 30 April

Altice Portugal's MEO, the country's largest fixed-line operator, confirmed that its mobile network has been fully restored in terms of both coverage and capacity. The fixed-line picture is less reassuring.

As of 24 March, MEO reported fixed-line availability of 95.9 percent across the affected zones. The remaining 4.1 percent, however, represents some of the hardest-hit areas where the operator is not simply repairing faults but rebuilding entire sections of its network from scratch.

"The recovery of the fixed network has proved more complex, since in many locations what is required is not merely the repair of isolated faults but the complete reconstruction of network segments," a MEO spokesperson told Lusa.

The operator's current forecast points to full restoration by 30 April, though it cautioned that the timeline depends on ground conditions and external factors. In the interim, MEO said it would deploy temporary alternative solutions where necessary.

Vodafone: Satellite Links as Stopgap, Fixed Line Until End of April

Vodafone Portugal reported that its mobile network is operational across all municipalities affected by Storm Kristin, but with an important caveat: some installations remain provisional. Where original towers were destroyed or structurally compromised, temporary replacements have been erected — shorter structures that may deliver different coverage patterns than the originals.

The operator's fixed-line challenges are, if anything, more severe than MEO's. Vodafone described a "total destruction of the aerial fixed network" in some areas, including fibre optic cables, junction points, distribution boxes, and utility poles. Where poles have been destroyed, new fibre cables are being laid on the ground as an emergency measure, which increases the risk of further cuts by third parties and makes the restored service inherently unstable.

Vodafone expects temporary fixed-line restoration to continue until at least the end of April.

NOS: 97.5 Percent Fixed-Line Recovery

NOS, the country's second-largest operator, reported the most advanced recovery of the three. Mobile services are fully restored, and 97.5 percent of fixed-line service has been recovered. The operator said the remaining clients should see normalisation "in the coming weeks."

All three operators confirmed they are automatically crediting affected customers for the days without service, with the adjustment reflected on the next billing cycle. NOS added that no customer in affected municipalities has had or will have service interrupted for non-payment.

The Bigger Picture: Five to Six Months for Full Fibre Restoration

The operators' optimistic April timelines contrast with a more cautious assessment from Paulo Fernandes, the government-appointed coordinator of the Reconstruction Mission for the Centro Region. Speaking at a conference in Leiria on 23 March titled "Economy, Risk and Resilience After Storm Kristin," Fernandes said the latest data suggest a full five to six months before fibre infrastructure is properly restored.

"What is happening is that we are trying to create very surgical models for critical entities, to mitigate the closure of a business that needs fibre for its machines to function," Fernandes told Lusa.

The disconnect between the operators' end-of-April targets and the reconstruction coordinator's five-to-six-month estimate reflects a distinction between temporary service restoration and permanent infrastructure rebuilding. Operators may achieve near-total service coverage through provisional solutions — satellite links, ground-laid cables, shorter towers — but the underlying network will remain fragile and exposed to further disruption for months beyond that.

A Vulnerability Laid Bare

The telecoms damage is one dimension of a broader catastrophe. Storm Kristin and the subsequent depressions Leonardo and Marta killed at least 19 people, destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, and caused billions of euros in damage across the Centro, Lisbon and Tagus Valley, and Alentejo regions. The Bank of Portugal has confirmed that the storms triggered a first-quarter economic contraction, with damage exceeding the 2017 wildfires.

For the telecoms sector, the episode raises questions about the resilience of Portugal's fixed-line infrastructure — much of it aerial and exposed — to the kind of extreme weather events that climate scientists say will become more frequent. The insurance sector is already grappling with similar questions about what risks remain insurable.

The farming sector has declared nearly 500 million euros in losses, while the government has been working with Brussels to redirect recovery funds toward the affected regions. The telecoms recovery adds another line item to what is shaping up to be the most expensive natural disaster in Portugal's modern history.