Telus customers across several B.C. towns were left without TV, internet, or cellphone service after someone stole copper wire on Sunday, Aug. 2.
The outage occurred for customers in Terrace, Masset, Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Smithers, Burns Lake, and Fraser Lake.
“We immediately worked with another carrier to offer roaming services to our customers,” said a Telus spokesperson to the Prince George Citizen. “This meant the vast majority of customers in the area quickly had cellphone service restored, enabling them to call, text and access 911.”
Telus also noted that the vast majority of services were restored before midnight on Sunday, with all remaining services restored as of Monday.
The telecom giant also noted that as the price of copper has risen, it has seen a 102 per cent year-over-year increase in thefts in 2026. The company also said that while thieves typically target copper cables, they cut through fibre cables in the process, resulting in additional outages and service interruptions.
Telus said it is continuing to increase security around its service infrastructure, and has opened an investigation into the theft.
Other Canadian telecom giants are also experiencing the same problem, as Bell logged 993 incidents of copper theft between January and June 2026, including a January incident in which stolen copper caused internet outages for 200 customers across three communities in New Brunswick.
Source: Prince George Citizen
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