Can you hear me now? Internet, long-distance calling restored in Natuashish
Internet service in Natuashish has finally been restored, following a two-week drought for most residents in the community.
Bell Aliant brought most customers back online Monday, following the construction of temporary towers. The community's permanent tower collapsed on Feb. 7.
The outage meant not only that social media sites like Facebook went offline, but also that debit machines and ATM machines in the northern Labrador community were out as well.
"Everything is back to normal, and I hope we don't have to run into those problems again," said Natuashish Band Chief John Nui. "It means that ... it's back to business, getting our things done."
A 'scramble'
Nui said it was a "scramble" to keep the Band operations running smoothly when Internet went down. He said timesheets and payments for band staff had to be processed manually.
The band ordered six satellite phones, he said, that can be used during future outages.
Local calling was still available, and some people had access to satellite internet services.
While the community went cash-only, one man made an 80-kilometre snowmobile trip to Hopedale to reach a working ATM.
Nui said Bell Aliant put four temporary poles up behind the band office. He's hoping for a permanent fix by May.
