Bell has shared more details about its service outage caused in Oshawa, Ontario, due to a third-party construction company. The company outlined the timeline and what happened in an email to iPhone in Canada.
On Monday, May 6th, a significant disruption occurred in southern Oshawa due to a fibre cut caused by a construction company working unrelated to Bell it says. The incident, which occurred during underground work, affected approximately 4,000 to 5,000 customers, damaging both fiber and copper lines.
At the peak of the outage, the disruption impacted services including internet, telephone, IPTV, and mobile connectivity in southern Oshawa. Bell has reported substantial progress in the restoration efforts: all cell towers have now been restored, reinstating wireless services for roughly 3,000 customers.
Efforts are ongoing to restore service to the remaining 700 fibre customers today, with an aim to have internet, telephone, and IPTV services fully operational. Approximately 1,700 customers using copper services, mostly landlines, are expected to see their services return gradually by the end of Monday, May 13.
The construction failure occurred despite Bell’s preventive measures, which include locating and marking underground cables to inform construction teams where digging is allowed. The current project was slated for six months, and Bell is investigating how these preventive measures were bypassed.
Restoration has been challenging due to the significant damage and the complex location of the break near a roadway. The repair process involves reconnecting an incredible 3,600 individual fibres and reconstructing cable ducts approximately 15 feet underground, with necessary safety measures to protect the repair teams.
Bell’s teams have been working around the clock since the incident to ensure services are brought back as swiftly and safely as possible. The company continues to update affected customers and strives to complete the restoration without further delays, it said.
