Tbaytel investigating Amber Alert failures

A spokesperson for Tbaytel says engineers from the company are trying to figure out why many customers failed to receive Monday's Amber Alert.

Police successfully located an eight-year-old boy Monday afternoon after the notice was published or broadcast by a variety of media, including the province's brand new Alert Ready system.

That system, which broadcasts emergency alerts to smartphones, was just tested last week, and Tbaytel isn't alone in having problems with it, said brand communication manager Katie Crowe.

"I think all providers have in some way experienced issues. There does seem to be some varied reasons behind the failure of the wireless alerts. But we've got engineers from a lot of different providers that are collaborating on a solution," she said.

Nonetheless, Crowe acknowledged the number of Tbaytel customers affected by the problem was likely high, since many of the company's own staff failed to get the alert.

Engineers from Rogers are working with Tbaytel on the issue, Crowe said, as Rogers supplies some of the network's software.

She doesn't know when the problem will be fixed, but those working on itfeel they're getting closer to a solution, she added.

Meanwhile, Crowe recommended that people continue to rely on more established methods of obtaining alerts such as radio, television and social media.

She also noted that people need to be connected to an LTE network and have the latest version of their phone's operating system installed in order to receive the notifications .