Rogers says wireless outage now fully restored, was caused by software update

Photo: The Canadian Press

Rogers Communications Inc. says wireless service has been restored after a massive nationwide outage left millions of customers without access to voice calls, texting and data services on Monday.

Chief technology officer Jorge Fernandes says in a statement on the company's website that the root cause of the intermittent wireless service was a recent software update by its network partner Ericsson.

He says the service disruption does not meet the level of service Rogers' strives to provide its customers — but stopped short of saying whether they would be offering customers compensation.

Many users expressed frustration with the outage, noting that they rely on the wireless service as they work from home under ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

Experts say the nearly daylong wireless interruption had deep economic implications, impacting business sales and services such as food delivery and curbside pickup, as well as the ability for some Rogers customers to book or check in for medical appointments.

They say the extensive outage could also stoke concerns about telecommunications consolidation and costs in Canada.

Rogers — which is one of Canada's big three wireless carriers along with Bell and Telus — owns a national wireless network that does business under the Rogers, Fido and Chatr brands.