Major Canadian telecommunications companies have reached an official agreement "to ensure" emergency roaming and other mutual assistance in case of a major outage.

"From now on, if one of these providers faces a major network outage, the other companies have committed to providing the necessary support and assistance so that Canadians can reach their loved ones, access 911, and conduct business transactions," said François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, to reporters during a ministerial retreat in Vancouver on Tuesday. Champagne added: "As part of this agreement, the companies also commit to providing clear and timely communications to keep Canadians and relevant authorities informed about response and recovery during major network outages." The deal comes after a massive disruption in the Rogers Communications Inc. service on July 8.

In the days following the outage, Champagne directed the CEOs of Rogers and other telecommunications companies to develop a backup plan to prevent a similar scenario, giving them 60 days to do so.

Rogers was unable to transfer customers to competing carriers during the unprecedented service outage, despite offers of assistance from Bell and Telus. It was also unable to shut down its wireless access network, which would have automatically connected customers to another telecommunications company to make 911 calls.

In a letter requested by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in August, Rogers said it did not have the data necessary to determine the precise economic losses caused by the blackout.

Champagne pointed out that the agreement is only a first step in his network resilience agenda, which includes enhancing accountability and preparedness. He also said additional steps are being taken, including directing the Canadian Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (CSTAC) to come up with further measures within six months to ensure strong and reliable telecommunications networks across the country.

Champagne also reiterated that the outage will be on his mind as he studies and reviews Rogers' proposed $26 billion acquisition of Shaw Communications Inc. When asked if he would use his powers to intervene while Rogers navigates Competition Bureau concerns about the deal and to prevent the whole process from slowing down, he indicated he would not and told reporters: "My job is to protect the interests of Canadians and when my time comes we will certainly clarify that."