Internet down in Ottawa and across Canada: Rogers customers reporting massive outage

Rogers customers reported a loss of cell service and internet access early Friday morning.

Self-reporting tools like Downdetector registered more than 20,000 reports nationwide but concentrated in Southern Ontario and Quebec, including the Ottawa area where at least 3,000 reports were tallied beginning to pour in at 5 a.m.

Ottawa police issued a warning on Twitter. “We recognize that Rogers network customers are experiencing a Canada-wide outage affecting cell and internet services,” the service wrote. “Some may experience issues connecting with 9-1-1 If your call fails, please try again, or call from a landline or cell phone with another provider.”

We recognize that @Rogers Network customers are experiencing a Canada-wide outage affecting cell and internet services Some may experience issues connecting with 9-1-1 If your call fails, please try again, or call from a landline or cell phone with another provider#ottnews — Ottawa Police (@OttawaPolice) July 8, 2022

Rogers posted a public message about the outage just before 9 a.m. but provided no information as to the outage’s cause nor its length. Its customer service tools appeared to also not be functioning Friday morning.

“We know how important it is for our customers to stay connected,” the RogersHelps Twitter account posted. “We are aware of issues currently affecting our networks and our teams are fully engaged to resolve the issue as soon as possible. We will continue to keep you updated as we have more information to share.”

The hashtag #internetdown was trending on Twitter in Canada. Users reported problems with debit machines, cellphones, cable television and home internet.

The Ottawa Public Library said in a media release that it was experiencing some disruption of services but that its branches were remaining open. Customers were still able to still browse books, check out holds and borrow library materials, but there was no wifi, public computer use, or InfoService access available because of the outage.