In the de-occupied territories of Ukraine, engineers wearing bulletproof vests have been observed restoring communication lines while walking step-for-step with mine-clearing teams. They work in zones where others are strictly forbidden to tread, driven by a singular mission: as long as there is a connection, there is hope. This stark reality of modern conflict has fundamentally reshaped how neighboring countries, particularly Lithuania, view their digital infrastructure—not just as a commercial service, but as a critical pillar of national sovereignty.
Lithuania’s digital border is now considered as vital to state resilience as its energy grid or its military. The logic is simple: without communication, a nation sinks into immediate informational isolation. While telecommunications operators invest millions in hardware, the true safeguard is the human element—the engineers and technicians who form a strategic backbone that cannot simply retreat during a crisis.
The Strategic Shift from Service to Sovereignty
For major operators like Telia, the war in Ukraine served as a definitive case study. It proved that in contemporary warfare, the “first shot” is often fired into digital space rather than a physical trench. Consequently, the role of the telecom worker has shifted from a service provider to a frontline responder.
In Lithuania, this transition is codified through rigorous “Day X” algorithms. These are not merely theoretical documents but active mobilization plans. The company has identified specific employees who would be the first to join the state’s defense efforts in a crisis. These teams are prepared to work in shifts from reserve offices or remotely, while field engineers are equipped with specialized protective gear to repair infrastructure under duress.
This commitment transcends traditional corporate responsibility. As Daiva Kasperavičienė, Head of People, Culture, and Law at Telia, notes, the priority for these specialists is no longer just the shareholders, but the state and its citizens. The goal is to ensure that even in the most severe scenarios, the country remains connected, allowing emergency services, banking operations, and government functions to continue without a fatal pause.
Learning from Global Blackouts: Taiwan and Puerto Rico
Lithuania’s approach is informed by a global landscape of increasing vulnerability. In Taiwan, the government is currently preparing for a potential digital blockade by deploying thousands of satellite communication terminals. This move follows a hard lesson learned when severed undersea cables left parts of the island without internet for weeks.
Similarly, after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, the restoration of the network required innovative, desperate measures, including the use of “Flying COWs” (Cell on Wings)—drones acting as mobile base stations. These international precedents have taught Baltic planners that a “Plan B” is insufficient; a resilient nation requires Plans C and D. Whether the threat is a kinetic strike, a cyber-attack, or a natural disaster, the objective remains the same: preventing the “informational silence” that costs lives.
Staying Connected When the Network Fails
While the state and private operators build a “digital wall,” the final link in the chain of resilience is the individual citizen. Experts suggest that the first ten minutes of a communication blackout are the most critical for public order. If the technical infrastructure is compromised, the psychological impact of a “pause in communication” can lead to panic.
To mitigate this, resilience experts recommend several practical steps that every household should take before a crisis occurs:
- Physical Contact Lists: Write down the phone numbers of your closest relatives on paper. In a digital outage, your smartphone’s contact list may be inaccessible if the device is damaged or uncharged.
- Predetermined Meeting Points: Agree on a specific physical location to meet family members if the internet and mobile networks fail.
- Analog Backups: Maintain at least one battery-powered radio to receive government broadcasts and keep a fully charged external power bank (portable charger) specifically for emergencies.
- Smart Use of Existing Tech: While the network is still active, use features like GPS location sharing with trusted family members to facilitate easier tracking if signals become intermittent.
By combining high-level corporate mobilization with individual preparedness, the goal is to ensure that even if the digital border is breached, the nation’s ability to communicate—and therefore its ability to resist—remains intact.
Source: ELTA
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