Rogers Outage: Why did a Network Upgrade Knock Millions of Canadians Offline?

A massive network outage at Rogers, a Canadian telecoms behemoth, knocked out more than 10 million customers – more than a quarter of the country's population – in early July. Regulators are now putting intense pressure on the company to explain what happened.

The ramifications of the 19-hour nationwide outage ranged from potentially dangerous to frustrating to ironic. 911 services were inaccessible on many mobile phones, according to police services. Hospitals reported communication issues, and one Ontario hospital was forced to redirect cancer patients when emergency radiation treatments were disrupted due to the outage.

Banking services were disrupted, and many businesses were unable to accept debit cards or accepted only cash. Fans of Toronto-born pop star The Weeknd were turned away after he was forced to cancel a hometown tour stop at the Rogers Centre (yes, the same Rogers) stadium.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which regulates Rogers and other Canadian telecommunications companies, was unable to receive calls. A massive network outage at Rogers, a Canadian telecoms behemoth, knocked out more than 10 million customers – more than a quarter of the country's population – in early July. Regulators are now putting intense pressure on the company to explain what happened.

The ramifications of the 19-hour nationwide outage ranged from potentially dangerous to frustrating to ironic.