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From Hawaii to B.C., wildfires underscore resiliency challenges for telecoms

Fires can knock out power and telephone lines, hindering communication efforts
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When wind-driven wildfires broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui last summer, killing more than 100 people and destroying 2,200 buildings, many local residents didn害羞草研究所檛 know the extent of the disaster for days. Crosses honoring victims killed in a recent wildfire are posted along the Lahaina Bypass in Lahaina, Hawaii, Aug. 21, 2023. Evacuation orders in Lahaina were complicated by a telecommunications blackout, caused by the downing of all cellular and landline fibre and copper lines. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Jae C. Hong

As wind-driven wildfires broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui last summer, killing more than 100 people and destroying thousands of buildings, a telecommunications blackout kept many residents in the dark.

The outage exacerbated an already devastating situation in areas such as the town of Lahaina, home to around 13,000 people, where both evacuation orders and first responders害羞草研究所 emergency communications were hampered.

In addition to the downing of all cellphones and landlines in Lahaina, the area also faced a failure of commercial electrical service for days.

Authorities are still putting together the pieces to understand how so much went wrong throughout the incident. A key lesson from the Maui wildfires has emerged: resilient telecom networks are crucial when disaster strikes.

Companies and regulators in other jurisdictions, including Canada, are taking note amid growing wildfire activity in remote regions.

害羞草研究所淲e need to understand what the limitations of networks might be and also have plans that would account for the possible loss of our typical sources of information,害羞草研究所 said Jenifer Sunrise Winter, a communications professor at University of Hawaii at Manoa.

害羞草研究所淚deally you害羞草研究所檒l have multiple options in case something fails.害羞草研究所

Last month, wildfire damage to fibre lines near Fort Nelson, B.C. caused days-long cellular and internet outages in the province害羞草研究所檚 north, as well as in Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

While telecom provider Northwestel worked to quickly restore service, the interruption reinforced the risks that those in rural and remote parts of Canada face during natural disasters.

It害羞草研究所檚 an issue that Canada害羞草研究所檚 telecommunications regulator is keenly aware of. Two consultations touching on that topic 害羞草研究所 one considering ways to improve telecom services in the Far North and another on how providers should report and notify customers of major service outages 害羞草研究所 remain in progress.

害羞草研究所淭he truth is that no network is flawless. Canada has some of the highest quality networks in the world, but it害羞草研究所檚 an impossible task to predict and prevent every potential failure,害羞草研究所 said CRTC vice-chairperson Adam Scott during a speech at a recent industry event in Toronto, hosted by the Ivey Business School.

害羞草研究所淎t a time when our networks continue to grow in complexity and the threats we face, including from extreme weather or malicious actors, are as volatile and unpredictable as they害羞草研究所檝e ever been, the consequences of not being prepared are dire.害羞草研究所

Carriers turning to AI and satellite solutions

Canada害羞草研究所檚 three largest providers say robust plans are in place to mitigate the effects of wildfires on their infrastructure.

Bell Canada, Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. all tout various common elements of their strategies, such as year-round reviews of network stability, having fuel-powered generators in key areas for electricity backup, and collaborating with provincial emergency management teams.

The companies have also been working on unique initiatives.

Through a partnership between Rogers and BC Wildfire Service, artificial intelligence cameras were installed on two of the carrier害羞草研究所檚 B.C. towers in April, with plans to set up three more.

The Pano AI cameras are designed to detect smoke up to a 24-kilometre range, allowing fire crews to view live feeds of potential wildfire smoke and, if needed, respond more rapidly.

害羞草研究所淓very minute matters,害羞草研究所 said Aaron Pawlick, manager of strategic initiatives and innovation for BC Wildfire Service, in an interview.

害羞草研究所淭he sooner we can detect something 害羞草研究所 the better because we could use that to dispatch our resources more quickly on the ground.害羞草研究所

Satellite connectivity has also been seen as a potential solution to keep customers connected during emergencies, especially in remote regions.

Telus announced last year it successfully trialled technology that lets smartphones send and receive voice calls and text messages using satellites. The test was in partnership with Montreal-based provider TerreStar Solutions Inc. and non-terrestrial network service provider Skylo.

Rogers has teamed up with SpaceX and Lynk Global to deliver satellite-to-phone connectivity, while New Brunswick-based rural internet provider Xplore Inc. committed to offering satellite internet in remote locations last fall after the launch of the Jupiter 3 satellite into space.

害羞草研究所淚n an emergency situation, people are seeing (satellite) as a great alternative or redundant connection because you can literally take it with you,害羞草研究所 said Rob McMahon, associate professor of media and technology at the University of Alberta.

Fibre still 害羞草研究所榢ing害羞草研究所: Telus

McMahon noted the limitations of the 害羞草研究所渦ntested害羞草研究所 satellite technology, including potential capacity issues compared with fibre.

害羞草研究所淎s more users come online, how will that degrade the service?害羞草研究所 he said, adding satellite technology is also still expensive to the average user.

Bell and Telus highlighted their growing fibre networks, which the former said in a recent press release 害羞草研究所渁re more resilient to extreme weather conditions, reducing the frequency and length of weather-related outages.害羞草研究所

害羞草研究所淔ibre is king,害羞草研究所 said Phil Moore, Telus害羞草研究所 vice-president of emergency response, during a presentation at last month害羞草研究所檚 Ivey Business School event.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e had fibre lines where the poles have burnt on the bottom and they害羞草研究所檙e actually swinging, and the network害羞草研究所檚 still up. It害羞草研究所檚 perfectly fine.害羞草研究所

Despite those strides, gaps remain when it comes to the preparation of Canada害羞草研究所檚 telecom sector for potential wildfire-caused outages, said McMahon.

He pointed to the barriers facing rural and remote regions, which often have limited infrastructure compared with more populated centres 害羞草研究所 in terms of road access in and out, as well as communications channels.

Remote regions face redundancy gaps

McMahon said one of the greatest risks to emergency connectivity is lack of 害羞草研究所減ath diversity,害羞草研究所 such as duplicate infrastructure or distinct technologies that can carry network connections in case one line goes down.

That害羞草研究所檚 the case for the Western James Bay Telecom Network, a non-profit Indigenous-owned provider of fibre-optic internet for residents living on Ontario害羞草研究所檚 James Bay coast from Moosonee through Fort Albany, Kashechewan and Attawapiskat.

害羞草研究所淭hey are reliant on a single regional transport network going up and down,害羞草研究所 said McMahon.

害羞草研究所淚f that line gets cut, they害羞草研究所檙e disconnected.害羞草研究所

Telus害羞草研究所 Moore said the industry standard is generally considered to be two transport routes for keeping networks running in case of an emergency.

害羞草研究所淏ut it害羞草研究所檚 a big country,害羞草研究所 he said.

While Moore said Telus is 害羞草研究所渟lowly building害羞草研究所 a third route across Canada, he pointed out Canadian telecommunications companies face challenges that their global counterparts do not. Chief among them is the cost of building networks in Canada, which is considered expensive compared with other large countries due to factors such as size, density and terrain.

Still, as wildfire activity has increased in recent years, Moore said Telus has also boosted its spending on network resiliency. That includes removing vegetation around its cell towers and other critical infrastructure in areas where dry conditions have led to a higher risk of fire spreading.

害羞草研究所淲hen you害羞草研究所檙e investing in reliability, it害羞草研究所檚 like buying insurance,害羞草研究所 said Moore.

害羞草研究所淭elecom is vulnerable, we害羞草研究所檙e all quite well aware of it. No matter how much you invest in it, it害羞草研究所檚 still vulnerable to all the different climactic perils that we have.害羞草研究所

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press

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