(Toronto) Rogers Communications experienced a widespread network outage that left many customers without mobile and internet service Friday morning, as well as causing problems for police and broadcasters.
Posted at 8:49
Updated at 10:15 AM.
A notice on the Toronto-based telecommunications company’s website said the outage affected wireless and home service customers, as well as phone and chat support.
“We are aware of our networks outage and our teams are fully committed to restoring all of our services,” Rogers said on Twitter.
When asked what caused the outage, how many customers were affected and when service might return, Rogers spokeswoman Chloe Luciani referred to The Canadian Press to the message on Twitter.
The company promised to share more updates as they become available, adding: “We know how important it is for our customers to stay connected.”
In the wake of the outage, police in Toronto and Ottawa have warned that connectivity issues could affect the 911 service.
“If your call fails, please try again or call from another landline or mobile phone,” Ottawa police wrote on Twitter.
On Twitter, Service Canada wrote that “the power outage in Rogers affects some call centers and offices, including passport offices.”
The blackout also caused concern about the Société Québécoise du cannabis.
“Due to a widespread outage in the Rogers network, Interac payments are not working,” SQDC wrote on Twitter, adding that cash and credit card payments were working properly.
La Ronde in Montreal says debit card services are down and asks the public to download or print their tickets before heading to the park.
CBC Radio, in Kitchener and Waterloo, reported that the outage affected its Friday morning programming.
Downdetector, a website that monitors outages, says people started reporting problems with Rogers’ service around 4:30 a.m., and by 7 a.m., there were 20,000 problems.
Customers in Toronto, Kitchener, Moncton, Ottawa, and Mississauga provided the most reports on the site, with 45% reporting total outages, 29% reporting mobile internet issues, and 26% reporting persistent internet issues.
Last year, the company suffered a major outage due to a software update that left customers without service.
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