Science & Tech · Big Tech & Internet · 8 hrs ago
72-hour mobile network backup could cost billions annually
After a January blackout in Berlin’s Steglitz-Zehlendorf district, a Senate expert commission called for mobile network sites to have 72 hours of backup power.
A study commissioned by operator 450connect says providing that backup across Germany’s three established mobile networks would bring major technical and financial challenges.
In a middle-cost estimate, the measure would cost €2.79 billion a year at sites with a moderate power load, rising to €11.15 billion at higher-load sites.
The study says public mobile networks can fail quickly without external power, as happened during blackouts in Berlin and Spain and Portugal.
Batteries would also be difficult to install at some sites, especially on city rooftops, where space is limited.
The study says the public networks cannot reliably provide the communications needed to help electricity operators restore power without causing another outage.
It presents the 450-MHz network as an alternative, saying it is designed for critical infrastructure and already has 72 hours of backup power at core and radio sites.
A 72-hour battery backup for the radio access networks of Germany’s three established mobile operators could cost billions of euros each year, a WIK-Consult study says.
The study was commissioned by operator 450connect and identifies technical, economic and construction barriers to the proposal.
The proposal followed a prolonged power outage in Berlin’s Steglitz-Zehlendorf district in January 2026.
The researchers say public mobile networks can fail rapidly during widespread outages and are not designed for such emergencies.
They present the 450-MHz network, which serves critical infrastructure operators, as a more efficient option for supporting recovery.
- Who
- WIK-Consult assessed the proposal in a study commissioned by 450connect.
- What
- A 72-hour backup for public mobile networks could cost billions of euros annually.
- When
- The study was reported on November 8, 2026; the proposal followed a Berlin outage in January 2026.
- Where
- The proposal concerns mobile network sites in Germany; the triggering outage was in Berlin’s Steglitz-Zehlendorf district.
- Why
- A Senate expert commission called for 72-hour backup after a prolonged outage; the study examines the costs and challenges.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A fire on a cable bridge caused a prolonged power outage in Berlin’s Steglitz-Zehlendorf district.
A Senate expert commission called for 72-hour emergency power backup at mobile network sites.
Heise reported on a WIK-Consult study examining the proposal’s costs and challenges.
- Annual cost, 5-kW site load
- €2.79 billion in the study’s middle-cost scenario
- Annual cost, 20-kW site load
- €11.15 billion in the study’s middle-cost scenario
- Middle-cost scenario
- €1,000 per kilowatt-hour
- Mobile network electricity use
- 73% attributed to the radio access network
- Alternative proposed
- 450-MHz network, with 72-hour backup at core and radio sites