Mobile network outage halts trains across Norway, disrupts emergency calls

A major outage in Telenor's mobile network halted train traffic across Norway and disrupted calls to emergency services Thursday, public broadcaster NRK reported.

Rail infrastructure operator Bane Nor said all trains were being stopped because train controllers could not contact emergency services.

The suspension was imposed for safety reasons in case a serious incident occurred, communications adviser Olav Nordli told NRK.

Train operator Vy said trains were at their nearest stations or approaching them, warning passengers to expect delays and cancellations.

Passengers could leave trains or wait for services to resume, Vy communications director Elin Myrmel-Johansen said. The operator arranged buses from Oslo to nearby major cities.

Telenor said the fault began at 3.15 pm local time (1315GMT) and affected calls to and from customers using its network. Some calls to emergency numbers also failed.

The company reported at 6 pm that SMS and mobile network services had returned to normal, but voice traffic problems remained unresolved.

“There are no indications that there is any hacking or attack underway,” Telenor communications manager Vetle Andersen told Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten.

The Norwegian Communications Authority said Telenor customers could still experience difficulties reaching emergency numbers despite improvements.

Police in Oslo and several other districts warned that callers might be unable to reach the emergency number 112 or the non-emergency number 02800.

The Norwegian Directorate of Health said the medical emergency number was also affected. It advised callers who could not get through to try again or use a phone connected to another mobile network.

The Directorate for Civil Protection said the separate emergency communications network used by emergency responders remained operational.