Internet disruption frustrates some Iqaluit residents

‘Feel like my left arm has been cut off,’ says one woman who lost most service

Residents trying to get in touch with Northwestel on Wednesday said they heard an automated message saying there is a disruption to DSL internet in Iqaluit with no confirmed time for when service would be restored. (File photo)

By Meral Jamal

Many Iqalummiut suffered through a lengthy internet disruption Wednesday with service apparently not yet fully restored by 5 p.m., six hours after it went down.

Service through Northwestel and Bell was disrupted around 11 a.m. across the city. Lynda Gunn, one of the residents affected, said she experienced disruptions at her office job and since about noon was unable to access sites other than Facebook.

“I am not getting access to Gmail (where our work email is). I cannot access our website, bank info, email and I cannot communicate by email with clientele and partners,” she said in an interview via Facebook Messenger.

“Personally, I cannot access my personal email or do any online banking. A little like going back to the 1990s before all the online communication days.”

Iqaluit businesses, like the Blackheart Cafe and The Marketplace, were impacted.

In the morning, the cafe posted a sign saying it would be temporarily closed and hoped to open to cash-only purchases in the afternoon. The Marketplace also had cash-only signs posted.

Gunn said she tried calling the Northwestel Bell operator about the disruption but “got nowhere.”

Online, some residents said they had a similar experience. When they contacted Northwestel, they said, they heard an automated message confirming there was a disruption to DSL internet in Iqaluit with no confirmed time for when service would be restored.

“I sincerely hope the internet is fully restored,” Gunn said, mid-afternoon. “It is hampering with my ability to do business for our office with our clientele and partners.

“Hope it is restored today. Feel like my left arm has been cut off,” she said.

 

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(9) Comments:

  1. Posted by lol on

    Dear “cable man” from the comments section of this article: https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/nunavut-fibre-optic-plans-face-new-delays/

    Starlink is already being used in Nunavut in Sanikiluaq. Elon beat fibre to Nunavut, and it seems like it’ll be available to the rest of Nunavut very soon.

    That being said, fibre will be nice to have. Good to have multiple reliable connections, especially for when certain ones go down, like today.

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  2. Posted by Xplornet on

    Thank god I kept my xplornet, a lot of people got rid of theirs and the speed seemed to have improved, plus I pay 99.99 for 200 gigs and it’s been working pretty good even under overcast and rain.

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  3. Posted by Jimmy on

    “Feel like my left arm has been cut off,’ says one woman who lost most service.”

    What a bunch of Karen’s – can’t live a few hours without internet! These must be the same people I see driving around in their cars, alone and with a mask on.

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    • Posted by Jimbo on

      Jimmy stop your whining! When your business and work is effected by no internet it can cost you money, day two of no internet here and not a word from federally supported Northwestel, this company has received hundreds of millions from the feds and unless you live in the NWT, Yukon or northern BC the service has been crap and expensive.
      We need CRTC Feds to review this company who has received so much funding from the feds.
      Feds stop giving them hundreds of millions and instead build up the telecommunications fibre up north.

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    • Posted by Clever on

      Just shut up. Anyone who knows Lynda would laugh at the idea of her being a “Karen” or a spoiled diva. She has a reputation as a hard worker and the internet allows her to do that work. She wasn’t complaining about not being able to watch cat videos on youtube. The internet has become a normal part of conducting business, and the service we get vs. the prices we pay are stupid. I’d be willing to pay more for better service and communication from the internet service provider.
      And by the way, when you see someone driving alone in a car, with a mask on, it is almost certainly because they are running errands and simply don’t feel like taking their mask on and off each time they get in the car. It isn’t because they are making a statement or actually think they are being protected from illness by wearing it when they’re alone. Maybe you think anyone who masks in general is a “Karen”.

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    • Posted by Northern Guy on

      When your business and livelihood depends on reliable internet having it go down for twelve hours doesn’t make you a Karen it makes you a concerned business owner trying to stay afloat.

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    • Posted by Tommy on

      Anyone who knows Lynda knows that she is not a Karen. Her name is Lynda, not Karen.

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  4. Posted by Name Withheld on

    Lol ? I seen that, driving alone in the vehicle with a mask on… lol or walking…

    I honestly wished the net would cut off for a day and see what everyone will do…

    It seems to be sluggish again ?

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  5. Posted by Backup plan on

    I lost my dsl internet yesterday for a few minutes. It took me 30 seconds to identify the source of the problem and 30 seconds to fix it.

    I’ve been surfing without issues

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