A major IT fault at Telia paralyzed communications and payments across much of Sweden on the evening of December 9. Healthcare, public transport, and police calls were severely affected, with Region Stockholm entering emergency mode. The issues were resolved after nearly four hours, according to Telia.
On the evening of December 9, Telia suffered a nationwide IT outage caused by a power fault in its network, leading to widespread disruptions. Thousands of customers reported issues with calling, texting, browsing, and using TV services, and Telia's website was down. The problems began around 6 p.m. and affected critical societal functions.
In Region Stockholm, the Regional Special Healthcare Command (RSSL) entered emergency mode at 6:34 p.m. due to phone issues. Six of seven emergency hospitals went into standby mode, and it was impossible to call hospitals or book transport services. A healthcare worker at one hospital described the situation: "Operations are proceeding slowly because we can't reach surgeons who need to come in. There's no internet telephony on the ward." Evening staff were ordered to stay overnight, and backup routines were used for communication. Chief Physician Patrik Söderberg of Region Stockholm said: "We are working to maintain medical quality and to minimize the consequences of the disruptions for patients."
Police number 114 14 was non-functional, but 112 remained unaffected. An alternative number, 010-56 464 00, was activated. Coop stores faced payment issues; card payments stopped working, and Stora Coop in Falun closed temporarily. Store manager Niklas Olsson called it "chaotic" and a "bad day," especially on member discount day. SL's Safety Center and booking center for transport services were impacted, but app booking was recommended.
Other regions like Skåne, Värmland, and Gävleborg reported similar issues and activated temporary numbers. Sarah Ohlsson, who tried to book transport, waited two hours and said: "It's really shameful. It will affect a lot of people."
Telia confirmed the fault as a power-related technical issue. Press Chief Roija Rafii said: "It's resolved now. Services will gradually start working again for affected customers." She added: "We apologize for this. Our technicians will secure the root cause and fix it to ensure this doesn't happen again." The issues were fixed by 9:30–9:40 p.m., but some services restored gradually. The exact number of affected is unknown, but impacts were spread across the country.
