Rogers outage shows need for Plan B when wireless, internet services fail, analysts say

You didn't have to be a Rogers customer to feel the sense of dread when waking up to the news of a widespread wireless and internet outage Friday morning. The day, for millions of Canadians, was already off to a bad start. 

At a Starbucks in Toronto, there was no quick tap of a debit card to get your caffeine fix on the run, as the disruption affected online payment systems across the country. Commuters in Vancouver were advised they may not be able to pay transit fares with debit cards. Cafes and libraries still offering Wi-Fi became makeshift offices. Any convenience to working from home became an inconvenience for those relying on the telecom giant's services. 

It's the second major Rogers disruption in about 14 months. The company admitted to its 11 million wireless subscribers: "Today we have let you down." 

The Canadian economy, and everyday life, is tethered to our communications networks, and when they go down, like Rogers did for much of the day Friday, there is no universal Plan B to keep widely-used – and vital — services online.

The repercussions  are serious. 

At least a half a million merchants use Interac debit payments, which rely on the Rogers network. Government services, including the ArriveCan app, have been impacted. The Niagara Health authority had to cancel radiation therapy appointments. Some cities have warned Rogers customers they may have trouble contacting 9-1-1 in emergencies.

"We have become remarkably fragile because of the rapid pace of innovation and the rapid pace of implementation of new techniques and new forms of technology," said economist Dan Ciuriak, a senior fellow with the Centre for International Governance and Innovation. 

This needs to be a "wake up call," he said, not just for Rogers but for Canada's wireless communications infrastructure as a whole. 

"We're talking about moving into the Metaverse. We're still in the dinoverse unfortunately, and this is pretty bad for Canada business-wise." 

In an email to some corporate customers, Rogers blamed the disruption on an outage within its core network. There was no estimate for full restoration, though some services appeared to be returning to normal late Friday.

While Rogers will have to further explain what led to such a significant failure, Ciuriak said Canada has "lagged" in its development of wireless network hardware compared to other countries, as well with its security. 

Tyler Chamberlain, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management, isn't as critical of the country's wireless communications infrastructure, noting these types of service interruptions are more common in other countries. 

He said it would be "really expensive" to build any system that "never fails." 

Part of the problem is that, whether it's in our business or personal lives, we often rely on one company for all of our telecommunications services, said Chamberlain, which is something companies like Rogers, Bell and Shaw offer as an incentive for slightly lower prices.