A widespread Telus outage affecting customers across northwestern B.C. has been blamed on damage caused by copper thieves.
The outage—which impacted phone service, text messaging and internet access on Monday—was the result of vandalism to Telus infrastructure in the region, according to the telecommunication company.
A spokesperson said thieves cut through fibre lines while attempting to steal copper cables.
“Our technicians are actively working to repair the extensive damage,” the spokesperson told CTV News in an email. “Our team is working as quickly as possible, and we thank our customers for their patience.”
The company, which delivers 911 connectivity services in the province, estimates the damage will be repaired between Monday afternoon and evening.
E-Comm, which employs 911 call-takers, confirmed a backup system has been activated, allowing people in the affected areas to continue calling for emergency help.
“Telus has also activated emergency roaming with another carrier, allowing customers to continue using their mobile phones to stay connected,” a spokesperson told CTV News in an email. “In addition, landline service remains available to some customers.”
Health officials said the outage has also impacted 21 health-care facilities across Burns Lake, Hazelton, Smithers, Terrace, Prince Rupert and Masset.
Acute care and major health facilities “maintain Starlink satellite internet services as a backup to local internet services,” however, and hospitals and regular health services remain open, Northern Health said in a statement.
Lakes District Hospital is unable to receive calls, which are being temporarily diverted to Prince George, officials said.
