Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 28 | Page 50

COUNTRY FOCUS: SPAIN Spain is suffering greatly from the outbreak of the global pandemic, COVID-19 (Coronavirus). We take a look at some of the IT initiatives that Spanish telecom companies are carrying out to help manage the disruption caused by the virus. ///////////////// Spanish telcos adapt their services to assist with COVID-19 restrictions W e are seeing how all aspects of society are being affected by the COVID-19 crisis – from the family to the workplace, to health and economic spheres. All this makes it a challenge for society as a whole. Connectivity becomes not only essential, but truly critical in order to move forward. Telefónica’s teams have worked closely with health authorities and social agents to respond to all its stakeholders responsibly. Guaranteeing communications Telefónica, headquartered in Spain and one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, is taking the following steps to respond to this emergency. Throughout its almost century- old history, Telefónica has experienced crisis situations at different times and in different countries. Measures have been decreed in certain areas of Spain to contain the Coronavirus, such as the closure of schools and educational centres or the promotion of working remotely in business. New measures restricting mobility may be adopted in other areas in the future. In times of crisis, communication networks and tools are even more crucial than usual. A global health emergency makes connectivity absolutely essential. It is 50 INTELLIGENTCIO key that public administrations are able to coordinate properly and inform citizens in real time; that health centres and hospitals have their communications systems available and can make use of remote diagnostics for patients; that educational centres can keep in permanent contact with families and students and make use of e-learning tools so that small and medium-sized enterprises remain connected to their clients and with their teams; and so that people can work from home. And on a personal level, keeping in touch with family and friends 24/7 is also crucial to mitigating separation and coping with uncertainty. www.intelligentcio.com