Rogers Set to Invest C$10 Billion in AI, Testing After Network Outage

Close on the heels of a massive network outage experienced by its customers, Canadian telecoms major, Rogers has announced plans to invest C$10 billion in Artificial Intelligence and testing.

In a statement, the company's President and CEO, Tony Staffieri has mentioned a set of initiatives that the company is going to take in order to strengthen its network infrastructure in order to avoid such incidents in the near future.

"First, emergency calls to 911 simply have to work. Every time. We have made meaningful progress on a formal agreement between carriers to switch 911 calls to each other’s networks automatically – even in the event of an outage on any carrier’s network. I believe this is the only responsible way forward and I am personally committed to making it possible for all Canadians.

Second, Rogers will set a higher standard for reliability by physically separating our wireless and internet services to create an ‘always on’ network – to help make sure our customers don’t experience an outage with both cellular and internet services again.

Third, we will continue to focus on reliability, investing $10 billion over the next three years. This includes more oversight, more testing and greater use of Artificial Intelligence to ensure we’re able to deliver the reliable service you deserve.

Finally, we are partnering with leading technology firms to do a full review of our network to help us learn from the outage. We will share lessons with our industry for the benefit of every Canadian.

I know that it is only through these actions that we can begin to restore your confidence in Rogers and earn back your trust. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do so," informed, Tony Staffieri,
President and CEO, Rogers Communications.