Who Still Offers Pagers in Canada in 2024?

Pagers, a critical tool for communication in healthcare and emergency services, have largely been phased out by major telecommunications companies in Canada. Bell, Rogers, and Telus, Canada's three largest telecom providers, have discontinued their pager services over the past several years. This shift reflects broader technological advancements and changing communication needs, with these companies instead focusing on modern mobile network infrastructure such as 5G.

The Phasing Out of Pagers by Major Telecommunication Companies

‍Bell officially discontinued its pager services for new customers in 2019 while scaling back support for existing users. Bell has strongly encouraged users to migrate to more advanced mobile solutions as part of their broader strategy to modernize communication infrastructure.

Rogers phased out its pager services in 2021 as demand dwindled and mobile technology advanced. Rogers has invested heavily in expanding its mobile network capabilities, including the rollout of 5G. This focus on next-generation communication technology has led Rogers to shift away from legacy pager systems.

Telus, another key telecommunications provider, followed a similar path. Telus phased out pager services nearly ten years ago (2015) to better align with the evolving needs of its customers and the broader technological landscape.

Who Still Offers Pagers?

Despite major telecom companies' widespread decommissioning of pager infrastructure and services, PageNet remains one of the only providers still offering pager services in Canada. PageNet continues to cater almost exclusively to specific sectors within healthcare and emergency services that require direct, and critical communication.

Why Are Pagers a Problem?

Dependence on a single network with legacy infrastructure creates a single point of failure, potentially jeopardizing critical operations within the healthcare system. Additionally, the analog and unidirectional nature of traditional paging systems means the sender cannot confirm if a page was successfully transmitted to its intended recipient. It certainly doesn't help that the manufacturing of pager hardware is dwindling, and refurbishments often must be made with used parts. Thankfully, there’s Hypercare.

Why use Hypercare’s Pager Replacement App?

Before Hypercare, healthcare professionals were burdened with manually dialling numbers to return calls and managing multiple pagers for various on-call roles and responsibilities. This outdated workflow created inefficiencies and communication delays, particularly problematic in urgent situations. In contrast, with Hypercare, a single click within the virtual pager app allows instant callbacks, significantly streamlining workflows. Multiple numbers and call schedules can be managed under one Hypercare account, decreasing administrative costs, enhancing overall efficiency and eliminating the need to pass the pager around like a hot potato.

Reliability was another major concern with traditional pagers. Pages could fail to deliver, and there were no automatic backup notifications, leaving both sender and receiver in the dark. Investment in pager infrastructure has all but stopped, further exacerbating these issues. Hypercare addresses these challenges by ensuring that any device with an internet connection (cellular, WiFi, or hardwired) can access the virtual pager app to check for voicemails or call-back numbers. Additionally, the app incorporates fallback mechanisms to guarantee that notifications are delivered, improving reliability.

Eleanor Arreola, the Operations Manager at East Bay Pediatrics, recounts how the shift to Hypercare improved communication within her team. In the past, reaching the on-call doctor was a multi-step process that often led to delays. One phone number would ring all nine physicians, and they had to manually keep track of their on-call schedules and turn off pagers as needed. With Hypercare, she explains that:

‍“The on-call physician receives a page on the Hypercare app, checks the corresponding voicemail and determines if the return call can wait or if they need to interrupt their rounds, all in one place.”‍

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To learn more about the hundreds of healthcare organizations that have adopted Hypercare’s full suite of services to transition from outdated pager systems, contact our team of physicians, nurses, and healthcare technology experts to discover how Hypercare can help.