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Telus announces fibre optic backup

New service will keep Whistler up and running if main lines go down

After a winter marred by interruptions to its high-speed service Telus has announced a new back up service for Whistler.

In the event Telus’s fibre optic line to Whistler is cut high-speed service will now resume in 60 minutes or less.

“We really realized the importance of high-speed access to Whistler,” said Maureen Daschuk, general manager of customer solutions delivery.

Telus’s fibre optic connection to Whistler was severed in mid-December when a hydro line fell on the cable during a storm. A temporary high-speed connection that crossed Highway 99 was reestablished a few days later.

In January that connection was severed by a truck crash.

Telus has been trying to secure a backup or redundancy fibre optic ring for Whistler with a line to the north, through Lillooet. Those efforts continue but to date have been impeded by a short section of private property.

What Telus has established in the meantime is an agreement with Bell Canada to lease space on Bell’s system in the event the main Telus line is cut again. That will allow Telus to reestablish high-speed service to Whistler in 60 minutes or less if the main Telus line is severed.

As well, Telus is purchasing fibre optic capacity in the new line Bell is establishing parallel to the BC Rail tracks. That new fibre optic line, which should be completed this summer, will provide Telus with a permanent “fibre ring” for Whistler. Once that fibre ring is completed there will be no delays if Telus’s existing fibre optic line is cut.

“The goal, obviously, is to have a seamless fibre ring for Whistler,” said Daschuk.

Telus also announced a reciprocal deal with Bell so that customers of one company will have the other as a backup in the event of future line disruptions.