BitBlock Systems Inc.

11/15/2021

Multiple fiber cuts, and power issues. Rogers cell and Bell cell both seem to have issues we can verify ourselves. Bell internet and land lines through PRI etc. also seem to be connected. Likely linked to the fiber cuts and land and mudslides and flooding.

Stay safe / avoid travel if you have to. Please remember NOT to enter standing water in a vehicle - you have no way to know how deep the water is, and as little as 6" of water can push your vehicle off the road. Be safe!

05/14/2021

Not sure who is aware, but under cover of COVID, the government has been promoting a bill ostensibly to "tax web giants" - except the bill doesn't mention tax. What it does mention is making your social media posts equivalent to "programs" (like as in TV) opening up lots of future issues like censorship, and media lobbyists love it. Contact your MP - these guys make it easy. OpenMedia is working for net neutrality, and lower internet rates / fighting big bell, etc.

Bill C-10 is the most serious attack on freedom of expression online in Canada we've seen in years and a genuine Internet emergency.

04/27/2021

2021.04.27 15:00 PST Carrier routes remain stable, no further reports have been received. We will be working on our own root cause analysis as well as providing some documentation on options to assist mitigation planning for clients who need to strategize to prevent issues like this. Further updates will be posted at https://www.bitblock.com/blog/network/99-2021-04-27-carrier-issue-affecting-inbound-outbound-in-canada
Thank you again.

2021.04.27 10:50 PST Outbound routes are restored. Capacity issues should be resolved. The carriers are reporting services are restored, but that the detailed RFO (explanation / reason for outage) will be published in 5 to 10 days. We will be updating our own plans and documentation with some mitigation strategy as a result of what we observed today. Thanks to everyone for their reports and understanding. We understand Rogers wireless customers may still be affected reaching some numbers, however this is likely something they may have to ask Rogers for support with if it continues. We were able to complete our own Rogers tests successfully at this time! More information will be provided as we collect it from the reporting carriers.

2021.04.27 10:03 PDT Inbound services seem to be restored, HOWEVER, callers from the Rogers wireless network report being able to reach some numbers but not others. Test calls from Telus cellular are working. Looking for a cause, but likely an issue on Roger's side. Will continue investigating.

2021.04.27 09:02 PDT Some of the backup routes are starting to work. We are able to receive some calls at this time, which is confirmation their repairs are progressing. We are working on allocating temporary numbers for people who need them. Please file a ticket at [email protected] with the subject "temp number for ###X" where ###X is your business name.

2021.04.27 08:02 PDT We are experiencing a disruption caused upstream carrier failures. We are working with them to resolve the issue - in the meantime we are changing routes to restore outbound dialing capability by routing away from the affected carriers. This should ensure you are able to place calls while we work with our carrier peers to ensure the inbound calling issues are fixed.

BitBlock Systems, Inc. (Since 2002) is Canadian IP Voice / VoIP / SIP company specializing in business telephony.

04/27/2021

Inbound connectivity issue caused by carrier issue under investigation. We're trying to re-route.

04/19/2021

Another Monday another connectivity issue. Rogers Wireless is having intermittent / no service for many users. Other Canadian carriers / internet providers are also showing an uptick in trouble reports. Maybe this is a good reason to enjoy lunch outside? Sorry for your troubles :-)

04/08/2021

2021.04.08 11:30 PDT Issues seem to be resolved. Awaiting explanations from multiple providers. We did observe intermittent outages on both retail and wholesale internet clients, but at the moment they all seem resolved. If you are still having issues please contact us if we manage your internet service, thank you!

2021.04.08 09:05 PDT Internet issues in BC / AB being investigated. Seems to be a bigger issue... we will post updates once cause is confirmed. Issue seems to affect multiple last mile providers including Shaw, Telus, and resellers.

03/24/2021

Concerned about this? Share? Sign up? Open Media is an activism non-profit which represents the interests of Canadian consumers. They have worked on issues like the CRTC wholesale rate revisions, and are now concerned about this.
Rogers buying Shaw gives them access to cellular spectrum which was discounted for a new player (Shaw), it gives them access / control of the only viable competition in western Canada instead of forcing them to compete. It can't be expected it will improve rates for consumers. It will only increase their virtual monopoly position at our expense.
I've signed up on this issue - will you?

Canada can’t afford for Big Telecom to get even bigger.

03/16/2021

Shaw (including wholesale) seems to be having some troubles this morning - if you are still connected, avoid rebooting or restarting your modem or router. If you are not connected, you can periodically restart your modem, and router if required. Please note that many connections will restore on their own, and that by restarting your router, you MAY have to reboot other devices on your network. Hope this helps :-)

03/05/2021

Well this sounds like a good thing 😊
We've implemented an SMS notification system to alert a clients staff to problems at the plant. This tech could save them hundreds of thousands in damages due to power disruption etc. And has already saved them money. SMS notification are not guaranteed by cell companies but will often work in areas with low cell coverage. Can you think of other ways to use this tech to alert your team about something? Could it help your business?

02/04/2021

This is awesome. Kudos to Nature's Path Organic Foods for helping out. Discontinued product. Boy who eats nothing else. They found the last cases and are getting a recipe organized so mom can make more when she runs out. This is a great story, and a good day.

The B.C. company is helping to track down the last remaining cases of the maple cinnamon treats, and is even working on a home recipe for the family.

02/03/2021

Problem report: Investigating inbound calling affecting some numbers. The issue is a carrier issue, but we're already investigating the source of the issue. Will update shortly.

01/18/2021

Continuing to make notes on things that shouldn't be the way they are, and with full credit to and (on Twitter) for their articles, we published some notes on What's wrong with WhatsApp. Should you stop using it? Maybe? If you have to use it, what can you do? Image by 's for his Forbes article.

BitBlock Systems, Inc. (Since 2002) is Canadian IP Voice / VoIP / SIP company specializing in business telephony.