After two major earthquakes in the southeast region of Türkiye on 06 February 2023, communication problems were experienced in 10 city centres. About 15 million people living in this region were affected by this earthquake, and according to official figures, more than 40 thousand dead, more than 100 thousand buildings were severely damaged and collapsed. Hospitals and health institutions in this region and some 112 Emergency Call centers were also damaged, and serious malfunctions occurred in the communication infrastructure in the first 72 hours of search and rescue operations after the earthquake. 30 percent of the base stations in the earthquake region, which are used for communication of mobile phones, were completely disabled in the first place, and telephone and internet connections were interrupted as a result of widespread power cuts and fiber lines in the region. In this session, you will hear about the response to this tragic incident and how the emergency communications were organised to respond to the many calls coming from the earthquake area.
Chaired by Demetrios Pyrros, President, EENA
