--- title: "Blackout-proof networks | DataRoad IT" description: "Over 8 hours without power in Lisbon on 28/04/2025. UPS for the network, internet over independent routes and a one-page plan. No-obligation proposal." language: en url: https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/blackout-proof-network-infrastructure-business/ source: https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/blackout-proof-network-infrastructure-business/ publisher: DataRoad IT (DataRoad - IT Services and Consulting), Portugal --- > Over 8 hours without power in Lisbon on 28/04/2025. UPS for the network, internet over independent routes and a one-page plan. No-obligation proposal. # Blackout-proof networks: autonomy and redundant internet for SMEs At a glance For decision-makers short on time. - 01 In Lisbon, power only began returning at 8.12pm, more than 8 hours after the 11.33am cut. - 02 ANACOM concluded that the blackout also affected mobile and fixed networks. - 03 Protect the core: UPS for the network, internet over independent routes, systems in the cloud. - 04 The plan fits on one page and should be tested once a year. ### In this article A lost working day costs more than the infrastructure that would have prevented it. On 28 April 2025 the power went off at 11.33am and Lisbon waited until 8.12pm for it to start coming back. The companies that kept invoicing had three things: **network infrastructure with autonomy**, internet over independent routes and critical systems outside the office. This guide shows how to set that up, and how to sum it all up on a single sheet. ## How long could your company last without power? For most SMEs, the honest answer was "not even an hour". Server down, fibre without signal, landlines silent and nobody with the authority to decide. It was not bad luck: it was lack of preparation. - **8 hours and 39 minutes** The gap between the cut and the start of restoration in the capital. - **Telecoms affected** According to ANACOM, the prolonged power failure spread to fixed and mobile networks. - **Practical lesson** A backup line using the same technology as the main one tends to fail at the same time. ## What happened, hour by hour? | Time | Fact | | --- | --- | | 11.33am (Lisbon) | Mainland Portugal and Spain go dark. ENTSO-E dates the event at 12.33pm CET. | | Afternoon of the 28th | The Government holds an extraordinary meeting and declares an energy crisis (in force until 11.59pm on the 29th). The system restart is driven from Castelo do Bode and Tapada do Outeiro. | | 7.25pm | First customers reconnected in Porto (figures from the E-Redes chairman to Parliament). | | 8.12pm | Restoration begins in Lisbon. | | Midnight | Around 95% of customers already have power. | | 3am on the 29th | Supply fully restored. | In its report to the Government, the communications regulator called for an assessment of operators' battery and generator autonomy and for minimum standards for network equipment. If the operators themselves run out of battery, your "backup internet" does too. ## What must stay on, and what can go dark? Powering 40 desktops for an entire afternoon is a waste. What matters is the core: the network, the link to the outside world and the systems where the work lives. | Element | Impact if it stops | Measure | | --- | --- | --- | | Router, firewall, core switch and access points | Laptops lose the network | A UPS dedicated to the network, sized for hours, not minutes | | Internet access | No email, cloud or clients | Fibre + an independent alternative route (another operator, 4G/5G, ideally satellite) | | Files and applications | Team without documents | Hosting in the cloud or a data centre; if there is a local server, UPS with automatic shutdown | | Voice | Clients cannot get through | Cloud PBX with mobile app and call forwarding | | Laptops and smartphones | Mobility lost | Charged batteries, power banks and VPN set up in advance | ### UPS: the battery that buys time A UPS takes over the load the millisecond the mains fails. It has two jobs: keeping the essentials alive and shutting servers down without corrupting data. Autonomy is defined by the objective (a 10-minute model will never deliver 8 hours) and by the short list of equipment that really matters. ### Typical case: 25 people and one server *Example*: 25 employees on laptops and a file server in the office. One UPS serves only the router, firewall, core switch, two APs and the satellite dish. Another, dedicated to the server, shuts it down cleanly after 15 minutes. The team keeps email and cloud for the full planned autonomy; the server comes back intact. The investment is a fraction of what protecting the whole floor would require. ## How do you design truly redundant internet? Redundancy only exists if the links share no single point of failure. Two fibres from the same operator through the same duct are one connection with two contracts. - **Route A**: fibre from the main operator. - **Route B**: a different operator and, where possible, a different technology. - **Route C, for those who cannot stop**: satellite, less dependent on terrestrial infrastructure; on a UPS, it keeps the office online when everything around it goes down. - **Automatic decision-maker**: the managed firewall switches traffic in seconds, with no human intervention. More detail in the guide to [internet bandwidth and redundancy for businesses](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/business-internet-upload-redundancy-sla/). ## Who already operates this way? [ReStream](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/restream-cascais-network-case-study/) (a US technology company and a world reference in multi-platform live streaming) entrusted DataRoad with its Cascais office. A core of Layer 3 PoE switches, Wi-Fi 6, an enterprise firewall, a satellite link as a redundant route and continuous monitoring, under an IT Unlimited contract. In a business that lives on live broadcasts, losing the internet is not an academic hypothesis. In an SME it should not be either. And we apply the same recipe to ourselves. The DataRoad data centre runs on redundant internet connections, failover and power autonomy; it is where international clients work remotely. It is the foundation of our [remote working solutions](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/managed-remote-working-it-portugal/) for companies that need to operate with the office closed. ## What should the one-page plan contain? An effective [continuity plan](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/disaster-recovery-services-portugal/) for power cuts fits on a printed A4 sheet: - **Command**: who activates "blackout mode" and who stands in, with mobile numbers. - **Internal communication**: a predefined messaging channel and contacts on paper. - **Autonomy**: which equipment stays on and how many hours each UPS gives, measured, not estimated. - **Place of work**: home, another site or a space with power, with remote access rehearsed in advance. - **Message to clients**: template text ready for email, website and social media. - **Return**: start-up sequence and backup validation, following the [disaster recovery for SMEs](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/managed-business-continuity-rto-rpo/) method. Without a rehearsal, the plan is a hypothesis. Schedule an annual test: at the end of the working day, cut power to the network and record what fails. ## What does DataRoad do for you? Under an IT Unlimited contract, we calculate UPS autonomy, set up internet redundancy with automatic failover and monitor the equipment: the power-loss alert reaches us before the client's phone call. If operations cannot stop out of hours, [Premium 365](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/premium-365-24-7-managed-it/) extends cover to nights, weekends and public holidays. Head office in Alfragide; support across the whole of Portugal. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long did the blackout of 28 April 2025 last? In Lisbon, more than 8 hours before restoration began: the cut was at 11.33am and power started returning at 8.12pm, with everything restored by 3am on the 29th. Around 95% of customers had power by the end of the 28th, with big differences between areas. ### Is a 4G/5G router enough as backup? No, not in a prolonged outage. It covers a cut fibre well, but ANACOM showed that mobile networks also suffered. Satellite on a UPS is the most robust backup. ### Is a generator worth having? Only if you need to power heavy loads for many hours. For network and internet over a few hours, a well-sized UPS does the job; local servers, cooling or machinery justify a generator. ### Does moving to the cloud eliminate the risk? No: it eliminates half of it. The data is safe, but without power and redundant internet nobody can reach it. ## Next step: a resilience assessment in 10 working days We analyse UPS, links, critical systems and how the team would work in the dark. We deliver your one-page plan and a prioritised list of fixes. Request a no-commitment proposal. **More than 10 workstations · support contract · remote, on-site and telephone support.** +351 211 459 950 * · sales@dataroad.pt **Call to a Portuguese landline.* ## References - [ENTSO-E: report on the Iberian blackout](https://www.entsoe.eu/publications/blackout/28-april-2025-Iberian-blackout) - [Government: statement after the extraordinary meeting](https://portugal.gov.pt/gc24/comunicacao/noticias/portugal-teve-uma-reacao-muito-positiva-ao-apagao-eletrico) - [Government: ANAC, ANACOM and IMT reports](https://portugal.gov.pt/gc25/comunicacao/noticias/anac-anacom-e-imt-entregam-relatorios-e-recomendacoes-sobre-impacto-do-apagao-eletrico) - [Lusa/DNoticias: E-Redes in Parliament](https://www.dnoticias.pt/2026/1/7/476471-retoma-excelente-garantiu-95-de-clientes-abastecidos-ao-fim-do-dia/) - [Lusa/DNoticias: full restoration by REN and E-Redes](https://www.dnoticias.pt/2025/4/29/446931-rede-reposta-a-100-e-normalizada/) Chosen by respected and international companies ★★★★★ 5,0 · 52 Google reviews ★★★★★ 5,0 · 52 Google reviews DataRoad ## Related articles [Networks and cablingManaged SD-WAN: multiple stores and offices without outagesA store without internet cannot sell or invoice. 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