Mr. Stephen Howe reports

BELL READY TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF WILDFIRES AND HURRICANES ON ITS NETWORK

With wildfires already active in parts of the country and hurricane season just around the corner, BCE Inc.'s Bell is activating its strategies to help customers stay connected during extreme weather events.

According to a Nanos survey commissioned by the Canadian Telecoms Association in March, 2024, more than one in three Canadians (39 per cent) report having experienced disruptions in service due to severe weather or natural disasters in the past year. Bell has put a number of plans in place to prevent outages due to extreme weather events, and when these events occur, to mitigate the impacts to customers.

"The resiliency of our telecommunications networks is of vital importance during extreme weather-related events. We understand that our customers rely on us in these situations to stay informed and to stay in touch with loved ones. Our teams have put into place the right people, plans and resources to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events this upcoming season.

"Our plans were put into action in Yukon, Northern B.C. and Flin Flon, Man., this past week alone when wildfires damaged our infrastructure. Because we were well prepared, we were able to quickly restore services where it was safe to do so."

-- Stephen Howe, Chief Technology and Information Officer, Bell

In any extreme weather event, the safety of the community and first responders is of the utmost importance, and continued access to Internet and mobility services plays a big role in the well-being of the people affected by and those responding to these events. The safety of the company's team members who repair and restore the network in any weather condition is likewise critical to ensure the continued well-being of its team members on the front lines.

Bell's approach to mitigating the impacts of severe weather includes:

• A year-round daily network review to ensure network stability;
• Preparing the company's wireless cell sites, data centre and central offices to maximize battery life;
• Ensuring the company's generators and trucks are topped up with fuel and Bell has access to enough fuel during and immediately after a severe weather event;
• Prioritizing generators in places that support key wireless sites, high-density fibre routes and public safety communications;
• Readiness to deploy crews from other regions to support affected areas if needed;
• Providing technicians with refresher training on how to work safely in hazardous conditions;
• Communicating with applicable provincial emergency management offices (EMOs), Premiers' offices, key federal ministers, and other local partners to ensure effective co-ordination and support;
• Working collaboratively with other network providers;
• Setting up a 24/seven corporate emergency operations centre as soon as the company foresees impacts on its customers.

In addition, the company has been steadily transitioning from its copper network to fibre networks, which are more resilient to extreme weather conditions, reducing the frequency and length of weather-related outages.

Here are some useful tips to be prepared during the next storm:

• Keep your devices fully charged and have a backup battery charged and ready in case of power outages;
• Turn off Wi-Fi and location-based services when you do not need them and keep your devices dry and cool;
• Stay informed through local radio and television stations and apps such as the CTV News app;
• Stay up to date about outages at the Bell website and @Bell_Support, @Bell_Aliant or @Bell_MTSHelps on X;
• During a large-scale emergency, mobile networks can become congested with an influx of mobile voice calls and data traffic. Help reduce network congestion by:
  • Only using your mobile phone to make emergency calls;
  • Using SMS/text or e-mail to connect with others as these services use less network capacity;
  • Keeping phone calls as short as possible;
  • Refrain from using mobile wireless networks for data-intensive uses, like streaming video.
• During a power outage, your modem and TV receivers will not work. As power is restored, you may need to turn your devices off and on again to reboot service;
• Visit the Get Prepared website to learn more on how to prepare and stay safe during an emergency.

Is your business ready to recover quickly in case of an emergency?

Severe weather events can be a threat to your business continuity and data. In addition to properly preparing the company's network, Bell offers services to businesses such as cloud storage, backup and disaster recovery solutions to provide a reliable defense for businesses data -- enabling data security, availability and resiliency in the face of a disaster or disruption. You can learn more on-line.

Here are other useful tips to keep your business connected:

• Document the contact information for Bell Service Desk, Account Executive and any Bell escalation contacts and keep with your emergency kit;
• Ensure critical network devices are connected to a UPS battery backup or local generator with enough capacity to maintain service based on your business's operational requirements;
• Consider purchasing a 5G/LTE service as a backup for data and Internet services.

About Bell

Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing advanced broadband Internet, wireless, TV, media and business communication services. Founded in Montreal in 1880, Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc.