Peru Ministry Orders Operators to Set Up Emergency Networks

Peru's transport and communications ministry (MTC) issued Friday (Aug 31) a decree obliging all telecoms operators to install emergency network capacity to ensure communication does not fail in the event of a natural disaster, MTC said in a statement.

Decree 030-2007 orders mobile and fixed telephony operators to have reserve capacity available for emergency communications among public bodies and the general public, something that was lacking in the aftermath of the August 15 earthquake.

The decree did not specify if additional infrastructure would have to be built.

Operators have argued that the collapse in communications was caused by unusually high congestion of traffic as well as to damages in infrastructure and not the result of faults on their networks.

MTC also said that within 15 days all operators should implement a special voice service that will provide users with an alternative communications channel during emergencies or disasters.

"This emergency messaging service is widely used in Japan, where [local operator] NTT offers the 177 Dengon Dial service. Through this new decree, local operators will have to implement a similar service in Peru," Germán Pérez, director of local telecoms consultancy DN Consultores, told BNamericas.

The analyst said the service, which is a virtual message board that allows people to post voice messages from anywhere nationwide, could be a very useful tool in the event of an emergency.

MTC said that under existing contracts, operators were obliged to cooperate with the authorities and make their networks available in the case of emergencies but they were not obliged to have specific emergency services available.

The ministry said that emergency calls would be limited to 1-2 minutes.

The decree also stipulates that local operators should have capacity to support emergency calls from customers of other networks that have collapsed.

In the areas directly affected by the natural disaster, operators should provide free communications through wireless networks.

"This decree stipulates changes to the law to ensure operators are better prepared in the event of an emergency and contemplates economic sanctions and even the cancellation of their concessions if these obligations are not met," MTC's head Veronica Zabala said.

Posted to the site on 3rd September 2007