Internet access blinks out across Yellowknife

Residents across Yellowknife reported disruption to internet access shortly before 10am on Tuesday.

The territory has been plagued by extended internet outages in the past year. This one seemed a little more tame: most residents were back online within 15 minutes of the initial disruption.

Northwestel, which provides internet access to most of the city’s residents and businesses and runs the fibre line that connects Yellowknife to the south, did not immediately identify any major issue.

Residents in Yellowknife’s Old Town, School Draw, Con Road, Kam Lake, Frame Lake, and Range Lake neighbourhoods all reported an inability to connect. Data service on cellphones appeared to be unaffected.

It’s only a month since the last significant outage, which lasted for a couple of hours on March 13.

There were three major disruptions in 2019: one in May, an almost day-long outage in July, and another in August.

The latter two incidents were blamed on vandalism of the fibre line, which is exposed in places near Highway 3 as it cannot be buried beneath the bedrock.

“It’s brutal. It’s people’s livelihoods. We need something more reliable,” said Mayor of Yellowknife Rebecca Alty during a 2019 outage.