Rogers Communications Inc said on Sunday it would invest C$10 billion ($7.74 billion) over the next three years in artificial intelligence (AI) and other tests and surveillance, just weeks after the company announced network problems that caused widespread disruption across the country. CEO Tony Staffieri said the Canadian telco has advanced a formal agreement between carriers to automatically switch 911 calls to each other’s networks even in the event of a network outage for either carrier.
“I believe this is the only responsible way forward and I am personally committed to making it possible for all Canadians,” Staffieri said in a letter Sunday. Staffieri said the company is physically separating wireless and Internet services to create an “always-on” network to ensure customers don’t experience an outage in both cellular and Internet service again. Earlier this month, the carrier, which has about 10 million wireless subscribers and 2.25 million retail Internet subscribers, suffered an outage that lasted nearly 19 hours and disrupted services from flights to banking and 911 emergency calls.The Canadian government also ordered an investigation and demanded that telecommunications companies agree to develop communication protocols within 60 days to keep people better informed.
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