Swisscom resolves nationwide emergency number breakdown
Emergency telephone numbers are working again in Switzerland after a technical failure caused a nationwide outage late Thursday, the national operator Swisscom said on Friday morning. This is the second such national breakdown in 18 months.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sb
Emergency numbers in many parts of Switzerland, including cities such as Zurich, Basel and Geneva, were unavailable from 11.45pm on Thursday until 7.53am on Friday.
Swisscom has identified the source of the problem and is investigating the technical failure.
The breakdown hit the emergency numbers 112 and 117 (police), 118 (fire service), and 144 (ambulance). The outage seemed to only affect landline connections. By contrast, mobile connections were not affected, Swisscom said.
Emergency services in Switzerland can also be contacted using alternative numbers in each canton found on the Alert Swiss websiteExternal link.
A similar breakdown to the Swiss emergency numbers occurred on February 12, 2020. That day the numbers 117, 112, 144 and 118 were unavailable for over 1.5 hours in 11 cantons, due to an “unexpected malfunction” at Swisscom. A report published in June by the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) warned about the “particularly high degree of complexity which can influence the risk of error” in the Swisscom network. OFCOM recommended studying the possibility of implementing a new system.
In neighbouring France, a similar emergency number failure last June reportedly resulted in the death of five people who were unable to contact the emergency services in time, according to the French authorities.
More
More
Swisscom national landline crash caused by faulty part
This content was published on
A defective component caused the Swisscom landline network to crash last Friday, affecting most of the country.
Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria
This content was published on
As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.
Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation
This content was published on
After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
Swiss study: insects mainly migrate at midday and dusk
This content was published on
A study led by the Swiss Ornithological Institute in canton Lucerne is helping to better understand the movement patterns of migratory insects.
Red Cross: 22 staff killed in Middle East since October
This content was published on
The Red Cross and Red Crescent network in Gaza and Israel has lost 22 staff members since last October, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) said on Wednesday.
Dortmund’s Kobel is first Swiss goalie in Champions League final
This content was published on
Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel has achieved history by becoming the first Swiss goalkeeper to reach a Champion’s League final.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
This content was published on
A much-awaited expert report on 5G has proven inconclusive, putting the ball back in the court of the federal government and cantons.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.