Telefónica to install 3 free Wi-Fi access points in Ceuta

TL;DR: Spain's Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration has started an emergency contract with Telefónica to install three free Wi-Fi access points in Ceuta. Telefónica said each access point can serve about 10,000 people under normal use, for total capacity of up to 30,000 users.

Spain's Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration has started an emergency contract with Telefónica to install three free Wi-Fi access points in Ceuta. The ministry is using Article 120 of Spain's public sector contracting law, which allows direct awards for urgent public-interest needs.

The three Wi-Fi access points are intended to provide data coverage in temporary accommodation areas and informal settlements where the Centro de Estancia Temporal de Inmigrantes (CETI) is saturated. Telefónica said each site can serve about 10,000 people under normal use, bringing total capacity to about 30,000 users.

The Telefónica deployment adds to mobile infrastructure already installed to address radio spectrum congestion caused by higher user numbers since late July. Spain's government had already awarded Orange a temporary mobile base station to expand 4G and 5G coverage at the CETI and in peripheral areas including Playa del Trampolín and Benítez.

Spain's Ministry for Digital Transformation, telecommunications engineers and the installation company said the Orange antenna is not a Wi-Fi hotspot but a repeater station for corporate and emergency traffic. The Ministry of Inclusion said the new network is intended to reduce pressure on Ceuta's commercial mobile network and support officials and NGOs, in line with EU Directive 2024/1346 on communication access for applicants for international protection.