Canadian telecom giant Rogers Communications has experienced an hours-long network outage, disrupting services for businesses, banks and emergency services across the country and forcing Canadians to scramble to find internet access.
It is not known what caused the outage, which is the second one in 15 months.
It began at around 04:30 local time. Internet traffic had dropped to around 75% of its normal level by Friday morning, according to NetBlocks, an internet watchdog organisation.
Rogers is the mobile carrier of nearly 11 million Canadians, with a stake in everything from hockey to cable television.
Rogers Communications said its technical teams were working to restore services as quickly as possible.
The outage is likely to add to concerns about competition in the industry that is dominated by Rogers.
Government operations have also been hit by the Rogers Communications issue. The company says it is working rapidly to resolve the nationwide problem.
"We know how important it is for our customers to stay connected," the company said in a statement.
This is the second major outage to affect Rogers in just over a year. Last April, customers reported intermittent disruptions while trying to access data or place voice calls.
People flock to cafes for Wifi
Customers gathered at coffee shops and public libraries to access alternate networks on Friday, while financial institutions reported problems with everything from automated machines to cashless payment systems.
In Ottawa’s downtown core on Friday, cafes including Tim Hortons were not accepting debit and credit cards, and turning away customers who did not have cash. Tim Hortons did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the impact on its business.
Toronto residents crowded into and around a midtown Starbucks coffee shop offering free wifi on a network unaffected by the outage.
Canada's Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said his team has been in contact with the company.
"We expressed how important it is that this matter be resolved as soon as possible and for the company to provide prompt and clear communication directly to those impacted," he tweeted.
While the disruptions were widespread, several companies and transport points said their services were unaffected.
The Port of Montreal reported no disruptions. The Calgary Airport Authority said it had "no major operational impacts."
