Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai blasted Bell over terrible wireless service in the territory, calling it “embarrassing” that residents experience frequent dropped calls even while downtown in the capital of Whitehorse.
Pillai sent a letter to Bell CEO Mirko Bibic, which was also sent out to media. In the letter, Pillai said the current service provided by Bell hasn’t met expectations and can be dangerous in emergencies. He wrote in the letter that in 2024, “it should be embarrassing to telecommunications providers that Yukoners cannot have uninterrupted cellphone calls.”
In a statement to CityNews, Bell said it takes the concerns “seriously.”
“We are investigating and working as quickly as possible to resolve these network issues. We will continue to update our government partners and impacted customers. As we complete network upgrades to add 4G and 5G service in the region, customers will have access to improved speeds and reliability,” Bell said.
However, Pillai said Yukoners have a right to be angry, pointing out that Bell owns “nearly all of the cellphone towers in the Yukon.”
“They need to answer for the dropped calls, delayed texts and patchy internet connections that Yukoners keep experiencing,” Pillai said.
Update 30/07/2024 at 9:23am: In an email to MobileSyrup, Bell said that it “fully resolved” the service issues mentioned by Pillai. Additionally, the company shared a copy of a letter Bibic sent to Pillai in response to the service issues.
In the letter, Bibic wrote that he takes “frustrations expressed by [the premier] and [his] constituents extremely seriously.” Bibic goes on to explain that Bell’s investigation into the service problems found “congestion issues on the network related, in part, to increased usage” and said that local upgrades may have left some residents with “intermittent disruptions.” Bibic wrote that Bell would monitor the situation to make sure issues don’t reappear.
Elsewhere, Bibic wrote that Bell is investing over $22 million in its network in the Yukon over the next three years to improve speed and reliability. According to Bibic, the investments will expand 4G and 5G service to “dozens of cell sites across the region and improve capacity.” Additionally, Bell will notify customers in impacted areas via SMS when work is underway “so they can be informed in the unlikely event that issues arise.”
Source: CityNews
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