Agreement for personal and corporate connectivity

Madrid, 20 March 2020. Spain has first-rate connectivity infrastructures, a fact that has been underscored by various international organisations. The efforts made by the private sector during the most intense period of the economic crisis, together with the cooperation of the Administration, have allowed us to roll out broadband coverage in our country more than any other Member State of the European Union. It is now, at this time of health, social and economic emergency caused by the rapid spread of the coronavirus, that the work already done proves even more valuable.

Connectivity infrastructures are one of the cornerstones of our digital society. The lives of citizens and the activity of our companies depend to a great extent on maintaining the quality of the telephone and broadband networks that we already have. We cannot add the interruption of digital services to the disruption caused by the pandemic. That is why, in addition to the guarantees to maintain the connectivity service included in Royal Decree-Law 8/2020 of 17 March 2020, on extraordinary urgent measures to face the economic and social impact of COVID-19, the Government and the telecoms operators signing this agreement have taken on the following voluntary commitments for the duration of the state of alarm as far as they are applicable to their field of activity:

1. Perform all necessary technical works, making every effort to ensure connectivity, network operation and supervision capabilities, and speed of response to incidents, especially with regard to the networks that provide support to emergency services.
2. Maintain the equipment and operations necessary to guarantee network redundancy and adequate provision of the service providing support to digital terrestrial broadcasting to allow citizens to continue to enjoy digital terrestrial television services.
3. Coordinate efforts to roll out campaigns to promote the responsible use of communication services to avoid jeopardising the integrity of the networks, and, in particular, the application of legal measures to combat unauthorised and irregular fraudulent traffic in electronic communications.
4. Make every effort to maintain customer service channels open with the minimum capacity to respond to their needs, both remotely (online or by phone) and in person through retail information and communications technology stores.
5. Develop special measures to expand services, at no additional cost to the user, associated with mobile phone connectivity contracts for private, self-employed and small business customers, always subject to proper use of the service, posing no risk to the general provision of the service, for which the use of wifi connections is recommended whenever available.
6. Enrich the audiovisual packages on offer to customers with additional content to help people in isolation / quarantine to cope with these conditions.
7. Contribute to the measures developed by the Administration to promote teleworking, distance learning and remote healthcare.
8. Since the agreement was signed, and during the entire duration of the state of alarm, calls made to the number 061 will be free of charge for customers and will also be free in interconnection for the operators, each of which will assume their own network costs.

This list of commitments will be updated and expanded in line with new initiatives developed by member entities and any new organisations that sign the agreement.

We all have our role to play to come up with a collective solution to the crisis we are undergoing. The Government and the signatory organisations of this Agreement consider that we will achieve its aims sooner and with the least possible economic and personal damage if we work together and each of the signatories fulfils their duty and responsibility to society.

SIGNED,

Third Vice-President of the Government and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation
Ms. Nadia María Calviño Santamaría

CEO of CELLNEX TELECOM
Mr Tobías Martínez

CEO of EUSKALTEL
Mr José Miguel García Fernández

CEO of the MÁSMÓVIL GROUP
Mr Meinrad Spenger

CEO of ORANGE ESPAÑA
Mr Laurent Paillassot

President of TELEFÓNICA ESPAÑA
Mr Emilio Gayo Rodríguez

CEO of VODAFONE
Mr António Coimbra

President of the National Association of Telecommunications and Internet Services Operators (AOTEC)
Mr Antonio García Vidal