Telecom companies waive mobile data limits in aftermath of Quebec ice storm

Bell Canada, Rogers and Telus all insisted their infrastructure hasn’t been damaged by the ice storm. Cellphone towers typically rely on fuel-powered generators as backups that kick in when the electricity supply is interrupted.

“Bell’s wireless infrastructure is intact and undamaged and we anticipate that once commercial power comes back online, wireless connectivity will be up and running,” Katie Hatfield, a spokesperson for the Montreal-based company, said Friday via email. “Customers may experience some congestion until all towers are back in service.”

Bell Canada declined to say how many mobile subscribers have been affected by outages because “many people travel within and outside of our network and are not assigned to any specific cell site.” Telus also declined to provide a number, citing the same reason.

The biggest effects have occurred in Greater Montreal and the Outaouais region, Bell Canada said. Additional generators have been deployed to shore up the network, while some equipment has been shared with network partners, Bell Canada added.

Videotron teams continue to work with other telecom companies and Hydro-Québec. At 4:30 p.m., 60 per cent of clients were reconnected, the company said.

Even after power returns to an area, it’s possible telecommunications services remain affected because they, too, depend on the state of the electrical network, Videotron added.

Rogers, which doesn’t offer wireline residential services in Quebec, said some wireless customers in the province may notice a degradation of service with fewer available sites because of power outages. Wireless towers are powered by the electrical grid and default to generators or battery back-up during a power outage, Rogers said. In addition, there is overlapping and extended coverage in the affected areas.

Telus, meanwhile, said it’s actively deploying critical equipment, including generators, and “uplifting” the coverage on select sites to extend connectivity and minimize the impact on customers. Limited network congestion may occur in some areas as households switch to the wireless network for connectivity, Telus added.