€26M Keeps Portugal’s SIRESP Emergency Radios Alive for Storms & Wildfires

The Portugal Ministry of Internal Administration has authorised a €26 M compensation payment to the state-owned operator of SIRESP, the country’s emergency radio network—a move that keeps critical communications online while a long-promised modern system is still on the drawing board.

Why This Matters

• €26 M equals roughly €2.50 per taxpayer this year, earmarked exclusively for emergency radio coverage.

• Storm season is peaking; fire brigades, PSP and GNR depend on SIRESP when mobile networks collapse.

• A full 4G/5G replacement is at least 18 months away, so the existing network must survive another wildfire summer.

• Audits have uncovered management gaps; residents should know where their money is going and when reliability will improve.

A Lifeline That Refuses to Retire

SIRESP—short for Sistema Integrado de Redes de Emergência e Segurança de Portugal—was built in 2006 to give firefighters, police and civil-protection teams a secure, encrypted radio channel. The network has since weathered floods, wildfires and power cuts but also recurrent outages. Each year since 2021 the Treasury has released a similar compensatory sum so that the public company, SIRESP S.A., can keep 600 radio sites, satellite links and dispatch consoles operational.

A System Under Strain

Batalha’s mayor was the latest to complain after the Kristin storm in late January: radios crackled, some towers went dark, and crews resorted to personal mobiles. The ministry admits to “localized failures” yet insists SIRESP remained, in many areas, “the only channel still working.” That claim is hard to verify, but April 2025’s eight-hour nationwide blackout exposed deeper weaknesses: backup batteries lasted six hours instead of the required eight; only 26.7 % of sites had been modernised; generator contracts were poorly coordinated across NOS, MEO and Altice.

Where the €26 M Will Be Spent

Authorities say the money covers three layers of cost:

Routine field maintenance—fuel, batteries, tower leasing.

Technology refresh—installing 612 router-satellite units bought in 2022 for extra redundancy.

Regional expansion—closing dead spots in the Azores, Madeira and mountainous mainland areas.

Officials stress the cash is not new investment but a bridge-financing mechanism while multi-layer tenders awarded in 2023 (worth €64 M over 5 years) ramp up. Those contracts went to Motorola for TETRA gear, NOS for terrestrial and satellite backhaul, and Altice Labs for network monitoring, promising €11 M in savings compared with earlier quotes.

Oversight Questions Linger

The Inspector-General of Finance recently flagged irregular mileage claims, delayed ledgers and management pay that ignored a 5 % public-sector cap. Only €2 091 of the €7 200 overpayment has been reimbursed. Compounding the problem, SIRESP S.A. has lacked a chairman since March 2024, leaving strategic choices to a temporary board. Parliament’s Public Works Committee wants fresh leadership in place before the summer wildfire period.

The Long Road to Replacement

A government task-force, created after the 2025 blackout, must deliver by late January an action plan for a 4G/5G-based secure broadband network interoperable with EU counterparts. The study was already postponed once due to an early election. If the new blueprint is adopted this spring, officials estimate a phased migration starting in 2027, costing “hundreds of millions” but promising high-bandwidth data, live drone feeds and mission-critical apps for first responders.

What This Means for Residents

• No immediate change: 112 calls and fire-brigade radios will still rely on the older TETRA system in 2026.• Taxes at work: the €26 M line-item sits inside the 2026 State Budget; scrutiny could affect future allocations to health, housing or transport.• Prepare for gaps: during storms, keep a charged mobile power bank; civil-defence advises downloading the Proteção Civil app, which pushes alerts even if cell coverage flickers.• Expect siren tests: additional drills are likely in high-risk districts as technicians benchmark tower resilience ahead of wildfire season.

Looking Ahead

If the task-force meets its deadline, cabinet ministers plan to decide before the summer whether to green-light the new broadband network. Until then, the €26 M stop-gap buys Portugal another year of imperfect but indispensable connectivity when it matters most.