Bell MTS Doesn’t Have to Give Monthly Updates on Winnipeg Landline Outages Anymore: CRTC

The Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) no longer requires Bell Canada subsidiary Bell MTS to provide monthly updates on landline outages reported in Manitoba earlier this year (via CTV News)

Back in May, Bell MTS users across Manitoba, especially in the Winnipeg area, started complaining of landline service outages. Manitobans were experiencing weeks-long landline blackouts and “unacceptable” call quality. In some cases, users weren’t even able to dial 9-1-1 or contact other essential services.

Canada’s telecom and broadcast watchdog took notice of the reports, demanding answers and solutions from Bell MTS.

“The company indicated that most of the issues were in relation to legacy copper infrastructure, which was heavily impacted by weather issues. The company also indicated that it was working on the deployment of fibre, which is a more resilient and reliable technology,” the CRTC said in an email to CTV News.

In June, the CRTC also asked Bell MTS for monthly updates on the status of the outages until October. On top of the monthly reports, the regulator said it also independently monitors service quality for large phone companies, including Bell MTS.

According to the CRTC, Bell MTS doesn’t have to provide monthly reports anymore as a result of the improvement that the regulator has seen.

“Over the course of our monitoring, the outages have significantly reduced. In its most recent reporting, Bell MTS indicated that its open trouble tickets continue to remain low and it continues to monitor the situation and remains committed to addressing voice outages as expeditiously as possible.

The CRTC added that it will continue to monitor any concerns in the region.

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