Madrid

Madrid was going to ban cars without a label forever. Now they will be able to circulate (almost) always

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After two years extending a measure that had been scheduled for 2022, the Madrid City Council has confirmed that cars without a label that pay their taxes in the city will be able to circulate throughout (almost) the entire city. In these moments, They can do it under certain conditions but it is nothing more than an extension in the application of a measure that should have been activated in 2024. Now they want this to be forever. What has happened? Borja Carabante, head of the mobility area of ​​the Madrid City Council, has confirmed that the city will allow cars without a label to circulate in the city. In a press release that can be read at Europa Pressthe Popular Group of Madrid points out that the measure has to be approved with a modification of the Mobility Ordinance in which an amendment from this political group will be included. The modification has to be supported by more political groups but Vox’s support seems guaranteed. With this change, cars without a label that pay the circulation tax in the city will be able to move without restrictions except in the special protection zones, applied in Plaza Elíptica and the most central part of the city, what was once Madrid Central. But does this already apply? Yes and no. Right now, cars without a label cannot circulate in Madrid unless they are registered and pay their taxes in the city. Since 2024, cameras monitor all entrances to the city and only cars with DGT A badges (without label) those who pay the tax in Madrid can circulate. This measure should have been extended to all vehicles, without exception, without DGT labeling in 2024. That is, regardless of where their owners lived or where taxes were paid, these cars would be prohibited from circulating. What we want now is to give them free rein without the need for extensions. Extensions? Yes, extensions. December 12, 2024the Madrid City Council confirmed that the total ban on cars without a label was not going to apply. He then assured that the measure had a great impact on citizens and that since the air quality limits had been met, one more year unlabeled cars could circulate in Madrid as long as they paid their taxes in the capital. Therefore, in 2025 there was a free pass for these cars and 2026 should be the year in which the ban was confirmed. But as happened last year, On December 11, 2025, the message was repeated: Cars without a label will be able to circulate for another year. This time, however, it was pointed out that the impact of these cars was minimal because they were only counted about 14,000 vehicles who found themselves in this situation. From 1.2 million to a few. The controversy over the extensions has flown over the months of December 2024 and 2025. In August 2024, Associated European Motorists (AEA) had been warning that the measure left 1.2 million cars outside the city. As we tell you in Xatakathe figure was inaccurate and was due to errors in the vehicle count. In reality, we were talking about 246,000 cars. Last year, the doubt was raised again in the last days of the year and on December 11 it was confirmed: a new extension until 2026. This time the excuse was that the affected cars had a minimal impact on the city’s air quality. Now the mobility area amounts to just over 11,000 cars those that do not have a DGT label. This means that, in anticipation of the ban, tens of thousands of drivers had sold their cars to get one with at least a B label. Those same drivers have seen that those who did not sell and keep the car have ended up getting away with it. a detail. That is, if you want driving around Madrid with a car without a labelright now you can if the car pays its taxes in Madrid. But, yes, it has to be in your name and you must pay this tax in the city from 2022, an exceptional measure that was included so that thousands of drivers did not register their car in the city and circulated normally despite living outside of it. In the press release sent by the city’s mobility area this detail is not mentioned. In Xataka We have tried to contact this working group to confirm whether this restriction will remain in place or not but, at the time of writing, we have not received a response. Yes, but. In addition, there are two other vicissitudes to take into account. The first is that the information sent states that vehicles without a label will only be able to park in the regulated parking zones (Zona SER) of the neighborhoods where their owner lives. Therefore, if you want to travel to another neighborhood with Zona SER you will have to park in a public or private parking lot but off the streets. The other detail to take into account is that the passage will be allowed as long as the stations that monitor air quality levels do not exceed the maximum allowed of 40 micrograms per cubic meter of NOx that would activate the anti-pollution protocol that begins to restrict the circulation of vehicles and that with Manuela Carmena at the helm came to limit circulation by license plate number. Madrid has been complying with the established air quality limits for four years and with Martínez-Almeida at the helm, this protocol has never been activated, so its activation, if it occurs, would be exceptional. Photo | NuKi Chikhladze and Quique Olivar In Xataka | The icing on the cake for Madrid’s works: the city has become a gymkhana of reforms, cuts and annoyances

There is a luxury development in Madrid that has been “hidden” for years and is stealing the spotlight from La Finca and La Moraleja

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If we think about luxury developments in Madrid, names like La Finca or La Moraleja probably come to mind. However, there is a new player on the Madrid luxury real estate board, one that has gone unnoticed for decades and has recently become fashionable among the richest. Low profile. Álamos de Bularas is an urbanization that has been standing since the 1980s, but has gone unnoticed in the shadow of more high-profile names such as its neighbor La Finca. Its strong point is precisely that: combining luxury and exclusivity with a lower profile and less media noise than other areas. But just because it is not the most famous urbanization does not mean that it does not offer high-level luxury; a search on housing portals most popular returns us a few properties that border and even exceed 4 million euros. Tranquility is what is most sought after. Like other luxury developments such as La Finca, Somosaguas or Monte Alina, our protagonist is located in Pozuelo de Alarcón (which by the way is the richest municipality in all of Spain) specifically in the northwest area. Álamos de Bulara is a fairly small urbanization, located next to Monte del Pilar, a forested area of ​​about 800 hectares. Access is closed and has private security. The location factor. In statements to the AD Magazinethe head of the Ketier real estate agency highlights that location is a key factor for more and more buyers to look at Álamos de Bularas. The urbanization is very well connected, with access to both the M40 and the A6, allowing its residents to be in the center of Madrid in less than half an hour and in the center of Pozuelo in just 10 minutes. In addition, it is very close to some prestigious private schools and sports clubs. The new refuge for VIPs. The housing crisis is also impacting how and where the wealthiest shop. We were recently talking about luxury apartments in Madrid were so expensivewhich urbanizations like La Moraleja or La Finca were becoming more “affordable” options“for the great fortunes. According to a Colliers report A year ago, the square meter in neighborhoods such as Salamanca or Chamberí reached peaks that exceeded 27,000 euros per square meter. This has caused many buyers to seek residence in peripheral areas, where demand has increased. In Xataka | The rich neighborhoods of Madrid and Barcelona have changed their accent: millionaires from the US and Mexico invest their fortunes in Spain Image | Max Vakhtbovych, Pexels

In Madrid they sell an apartment for 20.9 million euros. The question is not whether it is the most expensive in history, but what that means

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He has earned the unofficial title “most expensive apartment in Madrid” and, although it is difficult to confirm it because in the luxury sector there are operations that never reach transcendence, it certainly has the potential to be so. To start with its price. The apartment that Property Partners announces in Jerónimos, in the heart of the capital, it costs a whopping 20.9 million euros. Beyond that figure, the home’s size (1,008 m2), display of luxuries and extras is striking. For example, it has no decoration. It has “works of art.” Not a typical main room, but a “social area” that covers about 200 m2. In any other advertisement that vocabulary might sound like an exaggeration. Not here. The most expensive apartment in all of Madrid? So suggests it Property Partners, which claims to have in its portfolio what is “considered” the “most expensive property in Madrid.” The same unofficial title has been recognized in recent days several economic means, premises and generalistsincluding Tele Madrid that refers to the luxurious apartment as “the most expensive in the history” of the city. In reality, it is very difficult to confirm whether this is the case or not because discretion prevails in the luxury market. Many operations are closed with hardly any publicity, almost with their backs to the market. Others don’t. Last year, without going any further, John Taylor, a French real estate company specializing in luxury, brokered the sale of a home that was valued at 20 million. The property in question was located near Retiro Park and measured about 1,100 m2. The 20.9 million flat announced by Property has been announced for several months, although the agency assures that “there are offer processes” underway and interested people who have already made several visits. Click on the image to go to the tweet. What is the housing like? Enormous. And that’s an understatement. According to the token Published by the real estate agency itself, the apartment has a constructed area of ​​1,008 m2, although it identifies 812 m2 as “housing area”. Seven bedrooms (five en suite), six bathrooms and three toilets are distributed throughout this vast space, as well as amenities such as a gym, wine cellar and large living rooms. A reporter from EPE was able to visit the apartment and says that one of the first things that catches your attention is a 200 m2 room named “social area”. Do we know more? Yes. And it points in the same direction: that of exclusive luxury. The house, located in Los Jerónimos, has five parking spaces and two storage rooms, terraces with views of the Botanical Garden and furniture in line with the profile of its market. Tele Madrid assures Its renovation alone cost two million, to which is added another for the furniture. As a finishing touch, it incorporates works of art. That the apartment (the agency dates it back to the 70s) is so spacious in the heart of the center is explained by its past: in reality it is made up of three independent homes that a former owner bought and mergedoccupying an entire floor. Why is it interesting? Because beyond how striking the price or the characteristics of the apartment are, the advertisement connects with a larger trend: the increase in price of the home. That the price per square meter has been rising for years (in Madrid and the rest of Spain) is nothing new. Idealistic sample that in the last year the m2 has skyrocketed by 14.8% in the capital, reaching a maximum of almost €5,900/m2, although there are certain areas where this value is much higher. In Retiro there are more than 7,800 and in Salamanca they are close to 10,000. The announcement of the Los Jerónimos apartment reminds us, however, that the price increase is not exclusive to the conventional residential market. It also affects luxury. At the end of 2025 Diza Market published a report which shows that the cost of prime housing in the region rose by 95% in a matter of a decade, between 2014 and 2025. The analysis focused, however, on the luxury sector in which houses worth several million are moved, without reaching stratospheric figures. Are there more indicators? Yes. Savills has published another report in which it points out that the price of prime housing in the capital “triples the rate of global growth expected for 2026.” “If we focus the analysis on the first consolidated, the average prices in Madrid are around €16,000-17,000/m2, reaching peaks of between €25,000 and €30,000/m2”, details Santiago de Miguel, director. “The forecast is that the market will continue slightly bullish, but with sustained demand. The international buyer continues to have his sights set on Madrid.” “The Madrid market super luxury has reached a degree of maturity that allows operations of this caliber,” agrees an interview with Five Days Felipe Reuse, from Property Partner. Data from the Notarial Statistical Portal show In fact, the dynamism of the market in the heart of Madrid, with the m2 above 11,000 m2, and where foreign buyers have a relevant weight, representing a third of the total. There are those who already points out that the demand is going outside the city, towards La Moraleja or La Finca. Image | Chris Curry (Unsplash) In Xataka | There is a Europe that is suffocating to pay for housing and another that lives in peace. And this map shows the differences

build a “military Silicon Valley” in the heart of Madrid

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In recent years, security has become the new silent motor of European industrial policy. Wars and pressures between allies have modified plans. It is no longer just about manufacturing more, but about deciding where, how and under what control strategic capabilities of the future are built. Spain, in fact, is in search and capture of a node that amplifies its defense. The obstacle of the ground and an ambition. Spain wants to accelerate its military modernization and the centerpiece is to concentrate talent, engineering and technological development in a single large complex. Here appears Indra who, apparently, is looking for 77 hectares in the area of ​​Madrid to build a macrohub of up to 300,000 square meters dedicated to radars, electronic defense, communications and industrial digitalization, with a investment of 385 million backed by the European Investment Bank and the promise of thousands of skilled jobs (speaking of more than 3,000 new positions). The project, initially linked to Torrejón de Ardoz, has been slowed down by administrative slowness and is now considering other locations in the Henares Corridor, an area that the company considers strategic to reinforce a technological hub capable of responding to the new modernization programs of the Armed Forces. A military Silicon Valley. The ambition, on paper, goes beyond a simple corporate center. The idea is to create a complete ecosystem where laboratories, simulators, advanced manufacturing and auxiliary companies come together, turning the Madrid axis into a kind of Military Silicon Valley Spanish. The strategic plan Leading the Future aims to consolidate Indra as a driver of the defense and aerospace sector, attracting suppliers, research centers and technological startups that revolve around a strong industrial core. It is not, therefore, just about constructing buildings, but about articulate an innovation network that places Spain in a more autonomous and competitive position on the European board. Corporate engineering to avoid losing control. In parallel, the Government is moving to ensure that this national defense champion does not escape public control. As? Apparently, Moncloa is studying transferring Indra’s defense assets to a new subsidiary that allows the integration of Escribano Mechanical & Engineering and eventually other companies in the sector, all without diluting state participation through SEPI. counted the newspaper El Mundo There is a compelling reason behind this movement. The formula aims to avoid the conflict of interest derived from Ángel Escribano’s dual status as president of Indra and co-owner of EM&M, and to avoid a loss of control over an industry considered strategic. Industrial consolidation under pressure. The merger by absorption initially approved generated tensions due to shareholder balance and the risk of litigation, but undoing the path is not easy either. I remembered the media that Indra and EM&M have signed contracts under the heat of public credits linked to military programs and, in practice, they have operated as if integration were already underway. Added to this is the pressure of new international investors who see consolidation as a clear opportunity to create value. The result is a pulse between industrial ambition, state control and political times, one that will define whether Spain manages to articulate that “sovereignty mode” with a technological-military pole, or if societal complexity slows down the project that aspires to transform the heart of the country at the epicenter of its new defense industry. Image | RawPixel, Felipe Gabaldon In Xataka | Spain has been a weapons exporting power for decades. Now he has made a decision: keep them In Xataka | In the midst of rearmament, Spain has just surprised Europe: 5,000 million for 34 warships and four submarines

the BUS-HOV lane between Alcorcón and Madrid

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From January 2025, the residents of Paseo de Extremadura in Madrid They are finding out the hard way what it entails. bury four kilometers of one of the arteries of the city. It is no longer that the entrance to the capital along the A-5 has become a traffic jam nightmarebut in a dangerous road due to the urban ‘Mario Kart’ that has been formed. But beyond the traffic jams, the problem is that access to Madrid is being strangled for many people who live in municipalities in the metropolitan southwest. Let them tell Alcorcón. Madrid at rush hour it is not an easy city to travel, but when you cut lanes on a highway and overload the detours that are already saturated at certain times, things get complicated. To try to alleviate the load, a BUS-HOV lane so that the buses could circulate from kilometer 14 to the Parque Oeste de Alcorcón. And, although it is said that “the most difficult of the works has already happened”, the reality is that there is an interesting bottleneck between the capital and cities like Alcorcón, Móstoles or Boadilla. And, as it could not be otherwise, that BUS-HOV lane has become a source of dispute between the town councils of Alcorcón and Madrid. A road as a throwing weapon In this story there is a crossover of accusations. On the one hand, from Alcorcón, criticism that the works and measures implemented are causing delays in one of the most important commercial points in the city. The reason is that the lane that was made available for buses is underused while private vehicles clog the roads. And part of the problem comes from there: that bus lane takes up part of the roadpreventing private cars from using all the available width. And if the buses flowed, there would be no problem, but that is not the case. As pointed out The Alcorcón Gazettethe residents have asked that the lane be eliminated, returning to a road for general use, but the mayor of the town has insisted on extending the BUS-HOV lane to Príncipe Pío, now in the capital. Candelaria Testa states in her petition that the expansion of the lane to the M-30 tunnel is “fundamental to facilitate the connection of the residents of Alcorcón with the capital.” However, and as the newspaper reports, the residents are asking for something else: to first decongest Alcorcón and then focus on the needs of those who travel to Madrid. The Madrid city council has responded through Borja Carabante, Mobility delegate. As we read in The reasonthe official assures that “there is less and less left for the execution of the tunnel to be a reality”, ensuring that, by the end of the year, “all the buses will be circulating through it, arriving directly to Príncipe Pío.” Carabante assures that Testa has been “putting spokes in the wheel of the work”, and in the end that traffic jam between Alcorcón and Madrid It has turned into a fight between the two town councils. The neighbors have disgraced the mayor for not asking the Minister of Transportation for solutions, Oscar Puentewhile they see how a political dispute is once again the topic of conversation while they continue wasting time and money in traffic jams. The end, and unfortunately, is just one more chapter in works that are causing recurring headaches for both residents and those who need the corridor to get to and from their jobs. Internet, electricity and water cuts (Cheer up, mate Javi) have occurred without prior notice, the noise It is a constant and all that remains is to have hope in the great promise. That “the worst is over.” If you pass by there daily, I’m sure it’s a comfort. Images | Madrid City Council, DGT In Xataka | The icing on the cake for Madrid’s works: the city has become a gymkhana of reforms, cuts and annoyances

Unclogging Madrid is not an easy task, but the residents of Colmenar Viejo and Tres Cantos believe they have the solution: close the M-50

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Unclogging Madrid seems like an impossible taskand perhaps it is, since it is one of the densest European capitals in terms of kilometers of highways and motorways. However, that does not prevent its residents from asking for better connections and ways to avoid the gigantic traffic jams that occur every day in the capital. One of the problems has to do with the M-50, and is that the residents of Colmenar Viejo and Tres Cantos have returned to demand the closure of this highway as an urgent measure to end the traffic jams that clog the main access roads to the north of Madrid every day. What happens with the M-50. The neighborhood platforms of both municipalities insist that “closing the M-50 is a definitive solution,” according to has collected Telemadrid. The situation is especially critical, since in some sections of the M-607, especially on the Colmenar highway, traffic density skyrockets every day, causing significant delays both at the entrances and exits to the capital. Neighbors claim that closing this road would relieve pressure on the A-1 and other vital axes in the northern part. What exactly do they propose? What is requested is not to physically close the highway, but to apply a model similar to that of the M-30 or M-40: restrict access to the most polluting vehicles to significantly reduce the volume of cars that circulate daily. This formula, they argue from Tres Cantos and Colmenar Viejo, would decongest the roads and provide a respite for thousands of drivers who use their vehicle as the only way to get to their jobs. Why the measure is rejected. The administrations have been rejecting the proposal for years for one main reason: if the M-50 is closed or restricted, it would further complicate mobility in Madrid. Many drivers currently use this route precisely to avoid the Low Emission Zones of the M-30 or the M-40. Hence there is fear of diverting traffic to other routes and that the alternatives end up becoming saturated. Other important implications are environmental in nature. And this closure would directly affect the Regional Park of the Cuenca Alta del Manzanares and Monte de El Pardo, key protected spaces in the Natura 2000 Network. The main impact would not be to “destroy” the park in its entirety, but rather high-value ecosystems would be fragmented, interrupting ecological corridors, affecting the habitats of protected species and altering natural processes such as aquifer recharge and the dynamics of the Manzanares River. Even the alternatives with tunnels carry significant risks (very invasive works, ventilation, impact on the subsoil and hydrology). Added to this is the indirect effect of adding more traffic and urbanization on an already sensitive stretch. What is being done in the meantime. To try to alleviate the problem, they are already underway the works of a third lane on the M-607specifically in the section between Tres Cantos and Colmenar Viejo. This measure seeks to reduce congestion in one of the busiest accesses, although residents maintain that it is a partial solution that does not address the underlying problem. Who should decide. According to neighborhood organizations, the competition to execute the closure corresponds to the central government. From the ‘Platform for the Completion of the M-50’ they denounce that the project has been delayed legislature after legislature due to lack of budget and political will, while their requests remain unaddressed. Cover image | Wikipedia (Zarateman) In Xataka | Extremadura is experiencing the same situation that it already experienced in the Roman Empire: an unfinished highway that isolates half the region

Madrid and Barcelona have built an entire social and business life with the AVE. They are finding out what happens when it fails

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The Madrid-Barcelona high-speed line has collapsed. The trains do not arrive on time and no one pays their compensation, Adif has asked the companies to withdraw last-minute services, airlift prices have skyrocketed and there are companies working at half throttle because the goods do not arrive. A social and economic backbone of the country has been fractured. A Russian roulette. Taking a high-speed train between Madrid and Barcelona is, right now, Russian roulette if what you want is to arrive on time for an appointment. The link between the two most important cities in Spain has been broken via train and a round trip in the day is almost impossible. It is the result of a hasty revision of the train tracks, a direct consequence of the fateful Adamuz train accident (Córdoba) and the continuous warnings of the train drivers. Actions that have diluted the “high speed” concept between Madrid and Barcelona. What has happened? Since last January 18 An Iryo train derailed near Adamuz (Córdoba) and collided with another Renfe train that was traveling in the opposite direction, leaving 45 dead, Adif has been facing criticism about the track maintenance. In the case of Madrid-Barcelona, ​​the consequences were soon seen: speed limitations. Between confusing messages, Adif ended up imposing temporary speed restrictions at numerous points on the line, especially between Madrid and Zaragoza. Later, 300 km/h returned. But it didn’t last long because speed was reduced once again. The role of machinists. Since then, travelers between Madrid and Barcelona have been reporting severe delays, with trains taking more than four hours to reach their destination. As they explained to us Xataka From the SEMAF union, train drivers have the power to reduce speed if they consider it essential for the safety and comfort of travelers. They must notify the line controllers and put it in writing in a report. In addition, on each journey a document is filled out specifying the problems that have been found on the line. A train driver, who preferred to remain anonymous, corroborated this version to Xataka and made it clear that for months they have been traveling at a speed lower than the maximum speed allowed on the line and, especially, between Madrid and Zaragoza. Likewise, he pointed out that they have been complaining for months about the vibrations suffered by the trains but that they had not received a response until now. Adif’s role. Although unions and drivers claim to have been complaining about this situation for months, it was not until January when Adif appears to have taken more far-reaching measures. The road manager is doing an exhaustive review of the roads based on the continuous complaints from workers. These inspection and repair works, when necessary, are delaying travel times. The company has asked Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo to assume that trips will be extended to three hours (and they just pointed out that these travel times will extend until December) but has also asked them to eliminate the last services of the day to have more time for their performances. Collapsed by land and air. The result is a collapsed train line. The trains are not arriving on time nor in the three hours indicated by Adif (instead of the usual 150 minutes). And the problem for those passengers, who throw in the towel with punctuality, is that The companies are not responsible for compensation either. for delays, pointing out that they are the result of a problem beyond their control and that, therefore, they do not fall within the refund policies. At the same time, demand on flights has skyrocketed. Without the possibility of getting there and back within the day by train or for fear of doubling the usual travel time, travelers have turned to airlines. And the result is full flights and skyrocketing prices. After some bills will reach 300 euros, Iberia has reached its Air Bridge at 99 euros per trip. Vueling has also increased its frequencies. And the road alternative did not improve the situation either. Only in BlaBlaCar has an increase in demand of 130% been recorded, in data provided to The Newspapercompared to the previous year. Car rental companies do not seem to have been left behind either, since The Ombudsman has asked the CNMC to analyze whether illegalities have been incurred by skyrocketing prices for car rentals and plane tickets. And problems for companies. Companies in both cities have not only had to see meetings canceled or postponed these days. Some of them are having problems having their raw materials. In The Vanguard They include the case of some of them. Inovyn, in Martorell (Barcelona) had to send its 300 employees home earlier this week because they did not have the basic materials to produce plastic. “In normal situations we receive one train a day loaded with dichloromethane, a material with which we manufacture many of our compounds, but in the last ten days we have received only one train,” they explain to the newspaper. They explain that 18% of the goods that arrive at the port of Barcelona are sent to their destination by train. Those that use international gauges are stopped due to works in the Rubí tunnel and those that use the Iberian gauge circulate at night and in dribs and drabs. and in The Country They explain that the city’s port is becoming isolated, with an 80% drop in products coming from Germany, France or Poland by train. The road alternative is not working either. The AP-7 already there is enormous congestion since road tolls were lifted but, furthermore, there are not enough trucks to be a complete alternative given the volume of goods that move along the railways. Added to this are problems derived from the latest storms and the increase in traffic derived from a Rodalies service that has not been back to normal for more than ten days. Photo | Phil Richards In Xataka | Spain wants its AVE trains to travel at 350 … Read more

At the age of 16 he created a picosatellite from his room in Madrid. Today your company is at the global forefront in IoT communications

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While the majority of 16-year-olds were thinking and doing other things, it occurred to Julián Fernández (La Línea de la Concepción, Cádiz, 22 years old) create a 250 gram picosatellite from scratch. That project and that ambition changed his life and ended up causing him to found Fossa Systems in 2018. Today, six years later, we are faced with a leading company in this market that has things very clear and a spectacular projection. From Gran Vía to space. Fernández commented in a recent interview on RTVE how Fossa is the Spanish company that has launched the most satellites into space: currently there are 24 satellites. The project of his company – based on Madrid’s Gran Vía street – is to create a constellation of 80 small satellites. They have that many licensed, and all of them are specifically designed for communications with IoT devices. This is not a Starlink. Comparisons are odious, but often useful, and it is inevitable to look at Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite network. The latest versions of its satellites weigh between 800 and 1,250 kg, while Fossa’s nanosatellites do not exceed 6 kg. Starlink’s need huge solar panels because processing their broadband communications consumes a lot of energy, while Fossa’s use batteries that can last up to ten years. Nanosatellites for IoT. The focus is also very different, because Fossa’s nanosatellites have the mission of moving small packets of data in an ultra-efficient way. They are designed so that a sensor on an oil barrel, cow collar, or cargo container sends short, informative messages such as “pressure level OK” or “location: X.” They are totally designed for those short and critical communications in the Internet of Things. Spain is beginning to truly emerge. Fossa has already raised more than 12 million euros between private and public financing, has more than 50 employees and headquarters in Madrid and Portugal—and soon in Asia. They have become an absolute benchmark in their segment. and although at the moment they are launching with SpaceX, they hope to do so soon with PLD Spacethe other jewel in the Spanish aerospace crown: “Spanish satellites on Spanish rockets.” Satellite sovereignty. Fossa’s technology is being especially used in the defense sector: more than 80% of its turnover comes from this segment. As Fernández explained in that interview, “we cannot depend on the US for a technology as critical as satellite communication and sovereign and independent systems are needed.” A notable bet. The fact that Spain is, for the first time, the fourth European country that invests the most in space. Along with Poland it is the one that has increased its contribution the mostwhich now reaches 22,000 million euros. Hello, “New Space” model. Fossa has taken advantage of a new paradigm known as “New Space” in which from large space megaprojects we move to agile developments in which miniaturization and cost reduction is enormous. Fossa Systems is capable of creating a new satellite and putting it in space in six months, but that satellite also costs hundreds of thousands of euros, not tens of millions of dollars. There is another fundamental advantage: Fossa Systems does everything except the design and manufacturing of the semiconductors and the launch of the satellites. That verticalization, that “not depending on almost anyone” is another of its strengths. The future: satellites (somewhat larger)… and licensing. From that initial picosatellite of 250 g we have moved on to the current FOSSASat FEROX of about 6 kg, but the future involves manufacturing somewhat larger satellites of about 20 kg. They hope to complete their constellation of 80 satellites before 2030, and while they do so, Fernández has another objective that he will surely have no problem completing: obtaining his degree in telecommunications engineering at the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid, where he is currently pursuing that degree. In Xataka | PLD Space has a detailed plan to become Europe’s rocket factory. And the pieces have started to fit

Madrid has bought so many electric cars that the DGT has ended one of its great incentives

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Electric cars and plug-in hybrids will not be able to circulate in the Bus-HOV lane unless the signs indicate so. The DGT has confirmed that it was one of the most attractive measures for the potential customer of a car with a Zero Emissions label to take the leap. Now, so many cars of this type have been sold in Madrid that they have ended up putting an end to this advantage. What has happened? The DGT has sent a statement announcing the “Resolution on special traffic regulation measures for 2026.” Nothing very juicy except for one detail: the announcement that the Zero Emission cars they have run out of taking advantage the Bus-HOV lane to avoid traffic jams. The DGT explains that from now on, drivers of a Zero Emissions car (electric or plug-in hybrid with more than 40 kilometers of autonomy) will only be able to circulate on this special lane when it is specifically signposted. By default, they will not be able to enter it. Because? According to the DGT, the decision “responds both to the demand of the citizens and to the requests of the public transport companies and the Ombudsman who have conveyed to the DGT their concern about the progressive loss of effectiveness of the HOV lanes that directly affects the regularity and punctuality of the service, discouraging its use and harming thousands of daily users who opt for public transport.” And they provide data: traffic jams on the main roads have increased by 10%, while in the Bus-HOV lanes they have increased by 22%. But the data skyrockets in Madrid. According to their accounts, traffic jams are 20% more frequent on the main road of the A-6 entering and exiting Madrid. In its Bus-HOV lane, traffic jams have increased by 90%. Madrid, absolute leader. According to ANFAC data, Madrid was the Autonomous Community where the most electrified cars (electric and plug-in hybrids because the data also discriminate by non-plug-in hybrids) were purchased. In total, at the end of 2025, 102,245 cars of this type were recorded. Across Spain, 245,629 Zero Emission cars were purchased. The next region in which the most Zero Emission cars were purchased was Catalonia but it remained at 33,309 units. Behind them, only the Valencian Community and Andalusia exceeded 20,000 units. Goodbye to one of the great incentives. Until now, switching to the Bus-HOV lane despite only having one passenger traveling in an electric or plug-in hybrid car was one of the great incentives to get a vehicle of this type. The HOV Bus on the A-6 in Madrid, the only one for which the DGT offers data, is a relief for a road that is clogged daily. Beyond the driving comfort (absence of noise or vibrations) and the savings if we recharge at home, the Zero Emissions cars had two great incentives that were considered “political”. One is the purchasing aid that until now was collected in the MOVES III Plan but that have been frozen waiting for a Auto+ Plan that has not yet materialized. The second was this use of the Bus-HOV lane, since the time saved per day was considerable. However, advantages applied by each municipality such as unlimited access to ZBEsexemptions in the payment of road taxes or free parking in regulated parking areas. These aids are of municipal application and, therefore, vary from one city to another. Goodbye, goodbye. The loss of the unlimited pass for the VAO Bus is only a reminder that Zero Emission cars continue to enjoy some aid that, it is hoped, will end up disappearing. This is what has happened, for example, in Norway, where the exemption from paying taxes has caused a hole of 1.8 billion euros. The solution that has been proposed is to tax the weight of vehicles to alleviate this problem. In other cities, like parisit is also ignored whether the car is electric or not and a similar mechanism is also used to charge in regulated parking areas. Photo | DGT In Xataka | Guide to know if your car will be able to circulate in the ZBEs of Madrid in 2026: labels, registrations and areas

the underground works of the A-5 in Madrid

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Yesterday, January 19, 2026, a little before 8 in the morning, I was already in front of the computer preparing for the work day. I had been carrying out a task for a few minutes when suddenly, surprise: the websites I was trying to load in the browser did not load. The Wi-Fi connection had been cut offso I tried the network connection. Nothing. My wife, who was also online at the time, confirmed it to me. We didn’t have internet at home. Taking a look at the HGU router we use (we are O2 customers) I found two red lights flashing. I turned it off and on again, but the problem persisted. This looks bad, I thought. I immediately called O2 customer service, at 1551, and found the second surprise: they don’t answer until nine in the morning unless the phone is lost or stolen. Fortunately, the mobile data connection was still working, so I went to it: I shared that connection from my mobile to my work computer through tethering and I got to work without too many problems: the bandwidth of 5G connections is already more than enough for this type of scenario, so essentially I didn’t notice the problem too much. Shortly after nine in the morning I called O2 again, and a person answered the call to whom I told the problem. As soon as I did it, he told me that there was a service interruption in my area —”Oh, is it in my area, isn’t it something just mine?” I asked—and that they were working on solving it. “In the meantime,” he said, “We are going to offer you an unlimited data bonus both to your line and to all those associated with your contract. The person who assisted me also told me that the company would notify me by message when the incident was resolved. Some time later I received that confirmation message, and I continued working with the mobile data thinking that the problem would be resolved in a few hours. It’s been more than 24 hours and I’m still the same. The works on the A-5, recurring culprits Throughout yesterday I checked from time to time to see if the lights on the router changed, and just in case I restarted it to regain normal connectivity as soon as possible. There was no way. Source: Diario de Madrid. When several hours had passed and we still had no solution to the problem, I looked for some more information about the cause and quickly found an article in ADSLZone commenting on it: the underground works of the A-5who had left without internet an unknown number of Movistar and O2 clients. Those affected belong to the southwest area of ​​Madrid —Aluche, Campamento, Colonia Jardín, Pozuelo—, and I was one of them. This latest incident is not the first of its kind, and in fact there have already been cuts, for example in july, in August and in November. In all of them the reason was the underground works on the A-5, although at no time has the specific reason why these cuts occurred been clarified. This work is producing other side effects such as the saturation of Metro line 10, the dust and the deteriorated air quality for the residents of the surrounding areas, or traffic jams on the roads enabled in an extraordinary way throughout the underground. However, it is evident that the project is moving forward, and a few days ago the two sections of tunnel were connected executed to date. The tunnel is expected to be completed in Aprilalthough the vehicles They will not be able to circulate through it until the end of the year. Let’s hope that from now on there will be no more outages and the rest of the problems will also be mitigated. In Xataka | There is an extensive system to avoid being cut off in the 48 km underground of the M-30. It’s time to renew it

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