‘Feel like my left arm has been cut off,’ says one woman who lost most service
Many Iqalummiut suffered through a lengthy internet disruption Wednesday with service apparently not yet fully restored by 5 p.m., six hours after it went down.
Service through Northwestel and Bell was disrupted around 11 a.m. across the city. Lynda Gunn, one of the residents affected, said she experienced disruptions at her office job and since about noon was unable to access sites other than Facebook.
“I am not getting access to Gmail (where our work email is). I cannot access our website, bank info, email and I cannot communicate by email with clientele and partners,” she said in an interview via Facebook Messenger.
“Personally, I cannot access my personal email or do any online banking. A little like going back to the 1990s before all the online communication days.”
Iqaluit businesses, like the Blackheart Cafe and The Marketplace, were impacted.
In the morning, the cafe posted a sign saying it would be temporarily closed and hoped to open to cash-only purchases in the afternoon. The Marketplace also had cash-only signs posted.
Gunn said she tried calling the Northwestel Bell operator about the disruption but “got nowhere.”
Online, some residents said they had a similar experience. When they contacted Northwestel, they said, they heard an automated message confirming there was a disruption to DSL internet in Iqaluit with no confirmed time for when service would be restored.
“I sincerely hope the internet is fully restored,” Gunn said, mid-afternoon. “It is hampering with my ability to do business for our office with our clientele and partners.
“Hope it is restored today. Feel like my left arm has been cut off,” she said.
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