Can a Rogers Outage Happen Again? What Caused The Network System Failure?

Can a Rogers Outage Happen Again? What Caused The Network System Failure?

There is a lot of anxiety when it comes to communication. Whether it's not being able to reach someone you care about in time, or not being able to get work done online, the lack of communication can be really frustrating. 

When Rogers Communications system failed on the morning of July 8, many people woke up to no connection due to the outage.

Users were left without access to emergency services, ATM services, and television services. Even border control experienced issues.

What caused the Canada outage?

Rogers Communications claimed that the outage was due to a network system failure, following some maintenance work. They managed to reroute some of the traffic which allowed the network to slowly reconnect. They have confirmed that the outage was not due to a cyberattack.

While many were able to reconnect after a day or two, there were still a vast majority who had no access to the network after 5 days. Many have come forward, out of righteous frustration, to say they are moving on from the network and will be switching providers.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time the country has experienced this with Rogers. In April of 2021 there was a similar outage, linked to a software update. This outage also affected Canadians’ ability to call emergency services, and friends and family.

For those who have stayed as customers with Rogers, they will be credited with the time lost.

But this doesn’t leave customers with a good taste in their mouths.

This unfortunate situation is a reminder of how dependent we have all become on the internet and cellular devices.

How can a developed country’s network go down for all payments and the internet, affecting more than 10 million people in the entire country, because of one technical error?

Can a Rogers outage happen again? Possibly, but next time you can be prepared.

How can you prepare for another outage?

There is no way to predict when or where another country-wide communication outage will occur, but by following some simple tips and precautions you can at least be prepared for the possibility. 

Here are 5 simple tips to help you be prepared:

  1. First and foremost, be aware of your surroundings and know where everything important is located in case of an emergency. 
  2. Have an alternate way to communicate with those who are important to you if communication is lost. Create communication tools and procedures. 
  3. Make sure all your devices are charged and have backup batteries available in case of a power outage.
  4. Backup your data and files. 
  5. Educate yourself and your family about the situation. 

Has there ever been a worldwide internet outage?

There have been a few instances where the internet has gone down for a large area, most notably on October 14th, 2003 when parts of the world were unable to access the web. There have also been smaller outages that have occurred more sporadically.

What is the internet apocalypse?

An internet apocalypse is a term used to describe an event in which the internet ceases to function. This could be caused by a solar storm, outage, or other event. Without the internet, many people would be unable to communicate or do business.

What is a solar storm?

A solar storm is a type of electromagnetic storm that is caused by an eruption on the surface of the sun. When these storms reach Earth, they can cause power outages, disrupt communications, and even interfere with GPS signals. 

They occur every 27 days, but thankfully most tend to miss the earth. A large solar storm occurred in 1859. This storm was so powerful that it caused telegraph wires to spark and set fire to buildings.

In 2003 there were a series of solar storms that caused a massive power outage throughout the northeastern United States and parts of Canada, reaching countries as far as Sweden and South Africa. It also disrupted communications and Internet service for millions of people. 

So it is very likely that another storm could hit the earth, but this time causing far more damage.

Consider our suggested tips mentioned above, in order to be prepared for any event like this in the future.

We so often take our modern day communication tools for granted, and without thinking about possible scenarios in the future, we may be left in the dark.

Our portable water filters are another excellent tool to have ready for almost any type of emergency. You can find them here.

 

Written by Caryn Mackenzie on behalf of Survivor Filter