Rogers Outage: Millions to Get Credits Over Internet and Mobile Blackout

Following a nationwide outage last week, Rogers, Canada's largest mobile and internet company, has announced that it will credit millions of its customers. The company said in a statement late Tuesday that users will receive "the equivalent of five days service." The outage, which lasted over 15 hours, also impacted transportation, banking, and emergency services. Regulators have ordered the company to explain "why" and "how" the disruption occurred.

Rogers is one of Canada's largest telecommunications companies, with over 11 million subscribers. The company stated that it has been "listening to our customers from across the country who have told us how significant the outage was for them." It announced in a tweet that it would credit customers with five days of service, rather than the two days previously offered.

"The recent national outage of telecom services that affected millions of Canadians is unacceptable. Completely finished," Francois-Philippe Champagne, Canada's industry minister, said in a tweet on Monday.

He stated that he had met with the CEOs of major telecommunications companies "to demand that they take immediate action to improve the resilience and reliability of our networks."

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which regulates the industry, stated that it is seeking "a detailed account from Rogers as to 'why' and 'how' this occurred, as well as what measures Rogers is putting in place to prevent future outages."