edwardt48
lady lake fl
Full Member
Joined: 11/09/2004
View Profile
 Offline
|
What do you use for cell service in Canada / Alaska According to verizon Northern American service should work
|
joe b.
Florida
Senior Member
Joined: 08/24/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
You will find that in Canada, just like in the Lower 48, cell service works in the more heavily populated areas and not in the sparsely populated areas, the mountainous areas, etc. Just make sure your US phone plan covers using your phone in Canada, and visa versa or the roaming charges can be frighting. Some people that plan to use their phones a great deal in Canada will buy a prepaid FIDO Sim card to use in their GSM phones. This gives you a Canadian phone number so all calls are treated as local ones.
There is very little cell service available along the Alaska or Cassiar highways and in Alaska it is available only in the more urban areas of the state and any scatter off of those towers. There are only about 3 carriers of cell service in Alaska so make sure you phone will work and that your company has a contract to use someone else's towers.
On Edit: We usually will only turn our cell phones on a couple of times a week or when we need to make a call. Anyone else that needs to get in touch with us can send an email. We will check the emails ever 2 or 3 days. Any emergences that occur at home will have to be handled by someone else anyway. (one of the daughters)
Canada has done an outstanding job of making the Internet available in every community in the country, no matter how small or how remote. Find the local library and there you will find free Internet. Rarely do we have to go over a day or so without access to the Internet in Canada or Alaska. I much prefer that to hearing my phone ring when I am on vacation. But then again, I am not a person that lives on my cell phone at home either as some seem to do.
* This post was
edited 10/07/08 10:42am by joe b. *
joe b.
South Florida, Stuart
Formerly of Colorado and Alaska
Driving a Dodge/Cummins
www.jbpacooper.com web site
http://www.picturetrail.com/jbpacooper Alaska 2004 - Alaska 2006 - Colorado photos
|
JUrban
Delaware
Senior Member
Joined: 06/28/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
We have Verizon service, however, a few years ago Verizon sold their entire Alaska network. You can still get service, where it is available, through their cooperative agreements with local carriers. There are still a number of areas that only have analog service either for their primary or backup service. A few years ago the digital network in Valdez went down and was out for about 10 days. Analog service was available for those with tri-mode phones. We use a tri-mode phone, although our local Verizon store swore that there was no place in the US left with analog service. Some times ya' gotta be ugly when dealing with them.
John
2008 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40' QSP
2006 Chevrolet Colorado Toad
BlueOx Aventa LX Tow Bar
SMI Air Force One toad brake
Copilot Live Laptop 10 GPS
|
Hjudge49
St. Augustine, Fl.
Senior Member
Joined: 08/15/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
We used AT&T in Alaska and Canada this summer. Had pretty fair coverage, but the roaming charges were really stiff in Canada. I used a Sprint broadband aircard for my internet service and had good coverage in Canada, but once again, very costly. We had absolutely no Sprint coverage in Alaska.
|
GSF
full-timing in North America
Senior Member
Joined: 06/04/2004
View Profile
|
I have the North American plan with Verizon and spent several days in Canada with no cell signal. I finally figured out that the *228 update was needed to connect me with the right towers. Just signing up for the program wasn't enough.
George
97 Airstream Land Yacht
01 PT Cruiser Dinghy
Cappy - Pekinese Burglar Alarm
|
|
|
explorenorth
Whitehorse, Yukon
Senior Member
Joined: 02/21/2004
View Profile
|
There is no signal in almost all of northern BC and the Yukon except within a mile or so of small Yukon communities and within 25 miles or so of Whitehorse.
|
fullmoonoversalem
Home in NY and AK
Senior Member
Joined: 01/02/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
We have the Verizon NA plan also. Where there was any cell service available, we had service. Our Verizon air card did not work well. I had to sit down with Verizon and do some tweaking and I could get service, but it was like dial-up. I pretty much gave up on it and went to libraries and we joined the Senior Center in Ninilchik where we got wifi (which is very available if you ask around).
We finally settled into the cabin at Cooper Landing and I arranged for internet service. One day while waiting for the tech, I said, "Oh heck, why don't I just try." It worked beautifly.
Others in our group had ATT and the other one and they had the same problem depending where they were.
2007 Damon Challenger
2005 Saturn Ion
Moli, our sweet Lab Mix
Gus, our insane, sweet Cat
|
Chuck&Gail
In the Colorado Mountains
Senior Member
Joined: 06/16/2004
View Profile
|
We had excellent service from Virgin Mobile "pay as you go" in all of Atlantic Canada. Bought it at first WalMart on Canada side of border.
Chuck
Wonderful Wife
Lovely German Shepherd.
1999 Mercedes ML320 TV
2003 Wanderer 187TB Toybox (3620# UVW, 4800# loaded)
Not yet camped in Hawaii, 2 Canada Provinces, & 2 Territories.
I can't be lost because I don't care where this lovely road is going
|
sirdrakejr
Las Vegas, Nevada
Moderator
Joined: 11/18/2001
View Profile
Offline
|
Just remember that the *228 MUST be done from your home location or it wont work right.
I used to work for RCA Alaska way back when and it is now GCI which I am told associates with AT&T for cell service. RCA Alascom covered almost the whole state with the exception of the bigger cities. It may still be true for GCI but I would check to be sure.
Frank
RV.net blog
For those of you looking for expert advice, here ya go!
Frank
|
fullmoonoversalem
Home in NY and AK
Senior Member
Joined: 01/02/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
I meant to add to my last post....
We like it here so much that we decided to stay the winter. This should be interesting. We found a work camp position with Alaska State Parks in Cooper Landing. We have a little cabin and we are the caretakers. My Verizon works when many others do not here at the SRA.
|
|
|
