Northeast Experiences Telecommunications Blackout

Northeast Experiences Telecommunications Blackout

Tuesday, September 13, 2005 at 13:20

A spokesperson for SaskTel says there wasn’t much the utility could have done to prevent yesterday’s widespread telecommunications failure in northeast Saskatchewan.

Residents of Denare Beach, Sandy Bay, Pelican Narrows, Deschambault Lake, Cumberland House and others had to make do without telephone, cellphone, FleetNet and Internet service yesterday morning and most of the afternoon.

SaskTel spokeswoman Michelle Englot says a torn fibre-optic cable near Tisdale was the source of the problem.

Englot says normally that type of cable is very reliable, but it was damaged when a nearby river spilled its banks.

She also says there’s really no way to prevent a network breach in Tisdale from affecting communities much further north.

Englot indicates the type of repair job that was needed was complicated, which is why it took as long as it did for service to be restored.