bell aliant

Bell Aliant says a software update caused landline users in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I being unable to reach 911.

The issue lasted between 6am and 8:30am, local time. A “fall-back mechanism” in the telecom provider’s system meant the outage didn’t impact wireless devices, Katie Hatfield, a senior communications manager at Bell, told MobileSyrup.

“The root cause was a software update introduced at approximately 6:00am in preparation for 10-digit dialling for New Brunswick, which triggered unexpected call processing failures to 911,” Hatfield said.

The outage caused Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne to tweet his disappointment, calling it “unacceptable.”

The telecoms outage that affected 911 services in Nova Scotia early this morning is unacceptable.

As I have said before, Canadians expect and deserve reliable telecoms connection to access emergency services at all times.

— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) 🇨🇦 (@FP_Champagne) January 31, 2023

“As I have said before, Canadians expect and deserve reliable telecoms connection to access emergency services at all times,” Champagne wrote.

It’s unclear if the Minister will take any action against Bell. MobileSyrup has contacted the Minister’s office and will provide an update once more information is available.

Image credit: Shutterstock

When Frankie Allison received his landline bill, he knew the numbers were wrong.

The Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia resident had agreed to pay $35 monthly for a new house phone with Bell Aliant that he purchased before Christmas, according to the CBC.

But when he received his bill for two months of local calls, equaling more than $600, he saw he was charged 20 cents a minute for long-distance calls. But Allison wasn’t making international calls; most of his calls were to the nearby suburb of Lower Sackville.

“I made calls to Sackville — and I mean Sackville to here is no long distance,” Allison told CBC.

Bell owns Bell Aliant, a telecom company that serves Atlantic Canada.

The 81-year-old called the company after he received the bill. Bell Aliant told him the numbers were correct. He cancelled his landline and said he wouldn’t pay an incorrect bill. The company said they would send his bill to a collections agency.

“I told him you can put in whose hands you like, I’m not paying anything,” Allison told the publication. “I’m 81 years old, I don’t need no credit.”

Bell Aliant didn’t admit to its mistake until CBC reached out, prompting them to look into the bill. The company admitted there was a “programming error” and waived the charges.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: CBC