MONTREAL, OCT 7 (AP/UNB) — Thousands of Canadians in remote areas of the Arctic lost all communications after a satellite suddenly ceased operating.
The disruption of Telesat's Anik F2 satellite affected Wi-Fi, telecommunication and broadcast services, according to The Canadian Press news agency.
It affected 10 of 33 communities served by NorthwesTel in Canada's far north. First Air airline canceled 48 flights, stranding about 1,000 passengers just before the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend.
Telesat says the satellite suddenly ceased functioning Thursday morning without specifying what caused the problem. Telesat spokesman John Flaherty says it should be back online later Thursday.
