MONTREAL — From investing in enhanced network capacity to providing billing and usage relief for customers, Bell says it’s focused on keeping its consumer, business and government customers connected and informed as the country responds collectively to the COVID-19 crisis.
In a news release issued Wednesday evening, Bell says it’s closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and its impact on Bell’s operations, and working with all levels of government, major business customers and key suppliers to adapt quickly as the situation evolves.
“Bell is making the significant investments required to manage growing service volumes, while also waiving fees on key services and providing billing relief for customers facing difficulty as we all deal with this unprecedented situation,” said Mirko Bibic, president and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada, in the news release.
Some of the steps Bell says it has taken to ensure continuity of essential services include: enhanced capacity and redundancy for its wireless, wireline and broadcast media networks; ongoing special support for healthcare providers and first responders; and a commitment to delivering the latest news to Canadians at the local, regional and national levels.
Here’s a rundown of the various ways Bell is supporting its customers in response to the COVID-19 outbreak:
- To help Canadians working from home or in isolation the company is waiving extra usage fees for residential Internet customers across its Bell brands until April 30. Fees will be waived automatically.
- For Bell wireless customers travelling abroad, Roam Better and pay-per-use roaming charges will be waived from March 18 until April 30. Fees will be waived automatically. Bell is also working with the federal government and other carriers to support Canadians living or travelling abroad by sending them text messages about Canadian consular support and other useful information.
- Bell Media’s TV and radio news operations across the country continue to deliver the latest updates on the COVID-19 situation to Canadians from a local, regional and national perspective. Bell TV has also made CTV News Channel, CP24 as well as other Canadian news services available as free previews for Bell Fibe TV, Alt TV and Bell Satellite TV customers. CTV News and CP24 are also available live at their web sites and on their apps.
- All Bell TV services are also offering free previews of a wide range of family, educational, lifestyle and entertainment channels throughout March and April.
- While the company has closed most of its retail locations, select Bell stores remain open across the country to provide essential services to customers. These stores and their operating hours can be found on Bell’s store locator.
- To protect its customers and team, Bell has put in place enhanced safety and sanitation protocols at all Bell workplaces, at retail locations that remain open for emergency support and for its field service teams. These measures include limitations on the numbers of customers who can access Bell stores at any one time, and screening procedures for any installation or repair appointments.
- As service volumes increase, Bell encourages customers to take advantage of MyBell, the easy-to-use self-serve option available online or as a mobile app that enables customers to manage most of their Bell services. Customers can also stay informed by visiting Bell’s dedicated webpage at ca/COVID-19-Update.
