A spokesperson for telecommunications provider Northwestel says a “unique set of circumstances” converged Friday, knocking out internet, cell phone and landline service across parts of the North. Tammy April, vice president of customer experience with Northwestel, said Yukon’s primary fibre line passes through Fort Nelson, B.C. Yellowknife has a single fibre line running out of the city, and April said that makes it “vulnerable” to outages. It’s why Northwestel is trying to fund a submarine fibre line under Great Slave Lake, she said. Yukon, on the other hand, with its two fibre lines is generally well protected, said April.
