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Alberta fibre line cut disrupts Yukon services

A cut somewhere near Edmonton disrupted internet and cellular services for the territory Tuesday.

A cut somewhere near Edmonton disrupted internet and cellular services for the territory Tuesday.

Northwestel spokesperson Andrew Anderson told the News that the cut didn’t happen on Northwestel-owned infrastructure.

“Our partners have implemented an interim service to restore cellular service,” Anderson said, before the line was fully repaired.

Internet services came back quickly after the disruption, while cellular service was spotty most of the day.

The Yukon fibre line splits through northern B.C. and northern Alberta before regrouping in Edmonton.

While some users in Dawson City complained of a total outage, Anderson said the company prioritizes certain types of data over the network.

A slight lag will have a much greater impact on voice data than on internet, he said.

“Certain types of data will be prioritized, but it’s not by community,” Anderson said.

That process is standard among most modern internet service providers, he added.

This is the second disruption in under a month: two weeks ago a construction worker sliced the fibre line south of Fort Nelson, B.C., causing havoc with phone and internet service across the North.