(Vancouver) A dozen telecommunications companies have agreed to help each other in the event of a breakdown, just to avoid situations like the one that occurred this summer with the massive service interruption of the Rogers network.
Posted yesterday at 1:36 p.m.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, had given companies 60 days to agree on emergency roaming, mutual aid during breakdowns and the establishment of a communication protocol to better inform Canadians and authorities in the event of an emergency.
A deal was reached on schedule, and the minister was pleased to announce it on the sidelines of the Liberal cabinet retreat in Vancouver on Wednesday.
“Should one of these providers experience a major outage, the other companies are committed to providing the support and assistance necessary to ensure that Canadians can continue to reach loved ones, access 911 and complete their transactions. business,” he said.
Under this pact, to which Bell, Videotron and Telus have subscribed, among others, each of the parties will pay its own costs and assume its expenses with regard to its negotiation and execution. And the minister swears that he will “monitor them closely” to ensure that these fees are not passed on to customers.
The major outage at Rogers Communications, which was caused by a backbone network maintenance update, the company says, has affected millions of Canadians and businesses. On June 8, they found themselves without mobile service or internet for about 15 hours.
That day, Minister Champagne, who was in Japan, had had all the trouble in the world to join the CEO of Rogers, Tony Staffieri, for an explanation. And that is why there is a section of the agreement that deals with communication with government authorities.
“I don’t think it should be up to the minister to contact the CEO [dans de tels cas]. In fact, it should be the opposite,” maintained the Minister, specifying that the work is not finished. Because he wants to obtain more regulatory powers in terms of security, which could be done via Bill C-26.
If a page has just been turned, the story is not finished in the case of Rogers. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is continuing its detailed investigation into the incident, François-Philippe Champagne said.
Rogers–Shaw merger
There is also the issue of the merger of Rogers and Shaw, currently before the Competition Tribunal, which could soon arrive on the minister’s desk. He has never made a secret of his skepticism regarding the impact that this potential transaction could have on the competition.
“I express what Canadians have in mind. Obviously, when we see a proposed merger, it’s safe and normal to keep an eye out. In my case, what is important is competition, affordability,” he said.
“I said it candidly, and I think people heard me – and certainly companies too,” said the minister.