What Happened and What’s Being Done

The Rogers network outage that began on July 8 affected government services, businesses, banking systems, and in some cases, even 911 emergency calls.

Many Canadians were unable to make phone calls or use the internet, and incoming travellers couldn’t access the government’s ArriveCan app to submit the information required to go through customs.

Here’s a look at what happened, and what the company and the government are doing in response.

Timeline of the Outage

The outage started early in the morning of July 8, with the Toronto-based telecommunications service provider confirming the issue at roughly 9 a.m. EDT.

In a Twitter post, Rogers’ customer support said the company was aware of the outage and working to resolve the problem but couldn’t provide a specific time as to when its services would be restored.

At approximately 11:30 EDT, the company released a statement saying the outage had hit both its wireline and wireless networks.

“We acknowledge the impact our outage is having on your life. We have every technical resource and partner fully deployed to solve the problem,” a follow-up Twitter post read.

By the morning of July 9, Rogers said it had restored its services to “the vast majority” of customers, while it continued to bring services back to the rest of the country.

Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri said in an interview with CTV News on July 9 that “pretty close to 100 percent” of the affected network had returned to normal, while “less than one percent” of customers still had “intermittent issues.”

In a statement issued the same day, Staffieri said Rogers narrowed down the cause of the nationwide outage to a “network system failure” that followed a maintenance update to its core network that caused a malfunction in some routers.

“We disconnected the specific equipment and redirected traffic, which allowed our network and services to come back online over time as we managed traffic volumes returning to normal levels,” Staffieri said.

Impact

Rogers didn’t disclose the number of customers who were affected by the outage, though internet tracking website NetBlocks said a quarter of Canada’s observable connectivity was knocked out.

According to the company’s annual report for last year, Rogers had approximately 11.3 million wireless subscribers and 2.7 million internet subscribers in 2021.

People use electronics outside a coffee shop in Toronto on July 8, 2022 amid a nationwide Rogers outage that affected many of the telecommunication company’s services. (The Canadian Press/Cole Burston)

The outage affected emergency call services in several provinces, including Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec.

Government services and call centres were also impacted.

On July 8, Service Canada said on Twitter that call centres and passport offices were unavailable due to the outage. In an update on July 10, the agency confirmed its services were up and running.

Employment and Social Development Canada was also affected, along with Employment Insurance, the Canada Pension Plan, and some passport offices.

On July 8, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) warned travellers coming into Canada that they “may not be able to complete their ArriveCAN submission.”

All travellers are required to use the government’s mobile app to submit information about their COVID-19 vaccination status before entering the country. Anyone affected by the outage was asked to instead complete a Traveller Contact Information Form prior to their arrival.

Financial institutions reported issues with online payment and e-transfer systems, including TD Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, and INTERAC.

Public transit and related services like Metrolinx, Go Transit, and the Presto card system experienced disruptions to their operations. Hospitals in some parts of the country also reported issues with their online and telephone services.

Response

On July 11, Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne met with Staffieri and other CEOs of major telecom service providers in Canada to demand they provide a framework to improve “the resiliency and reliability” of their networks.

The companies were given 60 days to reach agreements on several aspects: emergency roaming, mutual assistance during outages, and establishing a communication protocol to keep the public and authorities informed in any future telecommunications emergencies.

Champagne also said that Canada’s broadcasting and telecommunications regulator, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), will be investigating the Rogers outage.

The national outage of telecom services that millions of Canadians experienced in the last few days is unacceptable. Full stop. It affected people across the country, emergency services, small and medium size businesses and payment systems.

— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) 🇨🇦 (@FP_Champagne) July 11, 2022

In his July 9 statement, Staffieri released a three-pronged “action plan” to improve Rogers’ network that includes monitoring network stability as the company works to restore all services, completing a root cause analysis and testing of its systems, and making any “necessary changes.”

“We will take every step necessary, and continue to make significant investments in our networks to strengthen our technology systems, increase network stability for our customers, and enhance our testing,” he said.

Rogers said it will “proactively credit all customers automatically” although it didn’t give a dollar amount that customers would be reimbursed for.

The company also warned of spam text messages sent to customers concerning fake credit offers.

“We are aware of scam text messages being sent claiming to offer credits in the wake of yesterday’s service interruptions. We will apply the credit proactively to your account & no action is required,” Rogers said in a July 9 tweet.

Calls for More Competition

Rogers is one of the three largest wireless providers in Canada and has been seeking regulatory approval from the government to purchase Shaw, the fourth largest telecom provider in the country, in a $26 billion merger.

The deal is currently being fought by the Competition Bureau, while the recent outage has added momentum to calls for more competition in Canada’s telecom industry.

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said in a statement on July 8 that the outage “underscores potential additional risks of Canada’s current approach” to telecommunications regulation, which she said is “highly regulated” by the federal government.

“Many in my community have expressed concerns over the years related to the high costs of cell phone and wireless services due to limited competition enforced by Canada’s current regulatory structure,” she said.

“When critical infrastructure is impacted, Canadians need answers. I am calling for an immediate explanation to Canadians with respect to the cause of the Rogers outage. I believe that an emergency parliamentary committee meeting may be beneficial to look into this matter and to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

Garner’s concerns were echoed by some of her parliamentary colleagues, including Conservative MP and leadership contender Pierre Poilievre, who called for more competition in the sector.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said on Twitter on July 8 that the outage “highlights the dangers of our monopolized industry.”

After his meeting with the telecom executives on July 11, Champagne weighed in on the issue.

“I’ve said very clearly and openly that I will not allow the wholesale transfer of licences from Shaw to Rogers, and I think this is well understood,” he told reporters in Ottawa.

“It says very clearly, what is in my mind, in terms of what needs to happen in Canada, which is additional competition, and always striving for more affordability.”