Malaga villages demand investigation after five-day phone and internet outage

Internet and telephone services have been restored in the villages Alfarnate and Alfarnatejo in Malaga province's Axarquía area after five days without coverage.

The two villages, which are the highest in the Axarquía, were affected by a Movistar and Vodafone network failure, which exacerbated the rural isolation of 1,400 residents.

Alfarnate and Alfarnatejo were left without landline, mobile, and internet service from Friday 23 until the early hours of Wednesday 28 January, causing "genuine anguish" among locals, according to the villages' mayors, who spoke to SUR.

Residents gathered at Alfarnate town hall on Tuesday to demand a review of all telecommunications installations in the villages and the implementation of measures to guarantee adequate service.

They reported that such incidents are recurrent and that they happen almost on a monthly basis.

Residents signed a petition which will be submitted to the relevant telecommunications and government authorities asking for answers and highlighting that connections are vital for improving safety, well-being, and quality of life in the villages.

Mayor of Alfarnate, Juan Jesús Gallardo, said: "We are outraged. Shops, the pharmacy, restaurants, and even the town hall itself can't function." He went on to say, "We go four or five days without internet practically every month."

The total communications outage led to the interruption of essential services including the doctor's surgery, telecare for the elderly, ATMs and banking services, the school, local businesses, the petrol station and fuel supplies. According to the town hall, this situation posed real risks to healthcare and safety, in addition to significant economic and social damage in a rural area with no alternatives.

The mayor of Alfarnatejo, Daniel Benítez, confirmed that his village had been experiencing the same situation since Friday. "No coverage, no phones, no telecare, no doctor, no card payment terminals. It's absurd and we've had quite a few of these already," he said.

"The situation is becoming unsustainable for the village," said the mayor of Alfarnate, who is demanding "structural solutions, not temporary fixes."