Torrevieja City Council has unanimously approved a new telecommunications bylaw designed to tackle the spread of cables, poles and equipment across public streets and building façades. The regulation, first drafted in March 2022, responds to the rapid expansion of fibre-optic networks and the visual and safety concerns caused by overlapping installations.

The bylaw promotes underground deployment over overhead lines, although aerial cabling will still be permitted where burial is technically or physically unfeasible, would disrupt service, or involve disproportionate cost. Minimum clearance heights have been set at 5.5 metres for parallel runs and 8.5 metres when crossing roads. Breaches may result in fines of up to 3,000 euros.

Original proposals were stricter, including a general ban on overhead lines and tighter limits on façade installations. However, many of these measures were softened following objections from Telefónica and the Spanish Association for Digitalisation, which represents telecoms firms. The final text removes fixed limits on the number of operators sharing infrastructure and eases licensing requirements.

Operators must now submit deployment plans and provide georeferenced data on their networks to a municipal digital inventory. The council says the effectiveness of the bylaw will depend on enforcement, as many existing installations already fall short of the new standards.