As wind-driven wildfires broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui last summer, killing more than 100 people and destroying thousands of buildings, a...
As wind-driven wildfires broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui last summer, killing more than 100 people and destroying thousands of buildings, a telecommunications blackout kept many residents in the dark.
"We need to understand what the limitations of networks might be and also have plans that would account for the possible loss of our typical sources of information," said Jenifer Sunrise Winter, a communications professor at University of Hawaii at Manoa.Last month, wildfire damage to fibre lines near Fort Nelson, B.C. caused days-long cellular and internet outages in the province's north, as well as in Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
Bell Canada, Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. all tout various common elements of their strategies, such as year-round reviews of network stability, having fuel-powered generators in key areas for electricity backup, and collaborating with provincial emergency management teams.Through a partnership between Rogers and BC Wildfire Service, artificial intelligence cameras were installed on two of the carrier's B.C. towers in April, with plans to set up three more.
Satellite connectivity has also been seen as a potential solution to keep customers connected during emergencies, especially in remote regions. "As more users come online, how will that degrade the service?" he said, adding satellite technology is also still expensive to the average user. Despite those strides, gaps remain when it comes to the preparation of Canada's telecom sector for potential wildfire-caused outages, said McMahon.
Still, as wildfire activity has increased in recent years, Moore said Telus has also boosted its spending on network resiliency. That includes removing vegetation around its cell towers and other critical infrastructure in areas where dry conditions have led to a higher risk of fire spreading."Telecom is vulnerable, we're all quite well aware of it. No matter how much you invest in it, it's still vulnerable to all the different climactic perils that we have.
Network Satellite Internet Canada Phil Moore Emergency Communications Network Service Provider Rogers Communications Inc Ivey Business School Network Connections
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