Bell ready to mitigate the effects of hurricanes on its network

As the Atlantic hurricane season reaches its peak, Bell is activating its comprehensive preparedness plans to help keep Canadians connected when it matters most.

We’ve implemented a range of proactive measures to minimize service disruptions caused by extreme weather and to quickly restore connectivity when outages occur. Reliable access to Internet and mobile phone services is essential for public safety, emergency response and community well-being – and we’re committed to ensuring that access remains available.

The safety of our customers, first responders and Bell team members working in challenging conditions is our top priority.

How Bell prepares for severe weather

• Daily network monitoring to ensure stability and performance
• Storm-proofing infrastructure like wireless cell sites, data centres, and central offices to maximize uptime
• Fuel readiness: Ensuring generators and service vehicles are fueled and have access to additional fuel during and after storms
• Strategic generator placement to support key wireless sites, fibre routes and public safety communications
• Rapid crew deployment from unaffected regions to support impacted areas
• Safety training for technicians working in hazardous conditions
• Coordination with emergency partners, including provincial Emergency Management Offices (EMOs), Premiers’ offices, federal ministers and local authorities
• Collaboration with other network providers to strengthen response efforts
• Activation of Bell’s 24/7 Corporate Emergency Operations Centre when customer impacts are anticipated

We’re also transitioning from copper to fibre networks, which are more resilient to extreme weather, helping reduce the frequency and duration of outages.

Tips to stay connected during a storm:

• Charge your devices fully and keep a backup battery ready
• Turn off Wi-Fi and location services when not needed, and keep devices dry and cool
• Stay informed via local radio, TV and the https://www.ctvnews.ca/app/CTV News app
• Check for outage updates at X: @Bell_Support, @Bell_Aliant
• Help reduce network congestion during emergencies:
  • Use your mobile phone only for emergency calls
  • Send SMS/texts or emails instead of making voice calls
  • Keep calls short
  • Avoid data-heavy activities like video streaming

Note: During a power outage, modems and TV receivers won’t work. Once power is restored, you may need to restart your devices to resume service.

Visit https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/getprepared.gc.ca for more emergency preparedness tips.

Business continuity tips for business customers:

• Keep contact information for your Bell Service Desk, Account Executive and escalation contacts in your emergency kit
• Connect critical network devices to a UPS or generator with sufficient capacity
• Consider adding a 5G/LTE backup service for Internet and data continuity

For more on Bell’s preparedness, visit bell.ca/our-network

Additional resources:

Preparing for Severe Weather Events & Other Emergencies – Canadian Telecommunications Association

A network Canadian businesses can count on – Bell Business Resources