tugagaidry@bellsouth.net
Houma , LA, USA
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Joined: 11/27/2004
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We are planning a trip to Alaska in June 2010, and I would like to know what the cellular coverage is like in the following areas:
North of Edmonton
Between Edmonton and Dawson Creek
Between Dawson Creek and Whitehorse
Between Whitehorse and Tok
Between Tok and Anchorage
I am pretty sure that the larger towns will have cell service. I am mainly interested in coverage along the Alcan Highway between the towns.
I don't want to spend money on a satellite phone if my Sprint phone will work in most small towns and along the Alcan hiway.
Also, if in your opinion, Sprint doesn't work - what carrier would you recommend - AT&T, Verizon, ?????
Tuga Gaidry
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resmas
Alaska
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Joined: 05/05/2008
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We have Sprint service. We had it when we drove up the Alcan in 2007, and we still have it now. We live up here. Service is pretty spotty between Tok and Anchorage - it is always on roam, I don't know if Sprint even has any towers here. I honestly just shut the phone off because I get sick of the beeping. But, the "no roam" plan includes Alaska, so as long as you can use somebody's tower, you're fine. It does not, however, include Canada, or at least it didn't when we came up in 2007. We did have service all along the Alcan, off and on. We just didn't use the phone - I used mine on the US side of the border crossing, to tell my family not to call me until I reached Alaska, and I still got charged out-of-country roaming because I (unknown to me) was using a Canadian tower. It was something like $40 for a 5-minute call. Insane!
My husband is military, and goes to foreign countries quite often. He always calls Sprint ahead of time and signs up for a temporary plan that makes it cheaper for him to use his cell.
My Onstar phone (in my GMC vehicles) works everywhere up here, even when there is no service with a handheld cell phone. So when I am on the road, that is what I use. It has never dropped a call, either.
Our neighbors have family in Houma, LA - the Thibodeaux's and Bienvenu's. Small world!
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skipnchar
Topeka Kansas USA
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Joined: 12/17/2003
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On the Alaska highway there is not likely to be ANY service except in the larger communities. No problem in Dawson Creek or Whitehorse but not much in between.
2004 F-250 SCREW Long Bed (new)
OR 2004 F-150 HD (85,000 towing miles)
Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
We have enough YOUTH...how about a fountain of SMART
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Nascarcruzin
Home is where the RV is parked.
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We have Verizon and had pretty good service in Canada and Alaska. You will have to sign up with a separate plan for Canada. (At least we did with Verizons)
* This post was
edited 10/22/09 05:16pm by Nascarcruzin *
Ronnie & Rebecca
Check out our adventures:
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2008 Alaskan adventure
2009 Northeast coast and Canadian Maritimes
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Jayco-noslide
Galesburg,Il., USA
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Maybe its just my company(US Cellular) but I called them before we went to Canada and found we would be on international rates of $3/day and $1/Min. so we passed on the cell phone while in Canada except to check voice mail 1 time and even that was several dollars.
Jayco-noslide
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dieharder
Ottawa, ON
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Here is the Sprint international coverage map. By the looks of it, it's pretty much the same as any carrier up here.
http://www1.sprintpcs.com/explore/coverage/internationalroaming/Search.jsp
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Little Kopit
TheMaritimes.ca
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Joined: 12/23/2003
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How about a card? If you check in the box stores, I'd bet you can pick up a cell phone card that would cover that area pretty well. I know such exist for this part of the country.
& I, I took the road less travelled by.
My Photo Album, featuring Labrador 2006
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QMAO
Alberta Canada
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Hello, I live 60 miles south of Edmonton and have traveled the hiway as far north as Fort Liard.
I used Telus as my cell phone provider and as far as coverage here in Alberta, Telus is the best.
While traveling along the hiway I did not encounter any areas that did not recieve service. There possibly be some weak signal between Ft. St. John and Ft. Nelson.
I am not sure of the service coverage north into NWT or Alaska.
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Goldencrazy
madison wi
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At&t was not bad coverage. Usually had it in towns and cities and along the road some of the time. I was impressed with coverage throughout Alaska. I added the canada plan and calls were about 50 cent per minute but much better than without. If you have iphone which I do turn off data roaming or you can get real poor.
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CoastieSCPO
Monterey, Tn
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On our way to Alaska in May, our second stop in Cananda was at Canmore, AB where we stayed for five days. While there, we purchased a prepaid card at the Safeway Store. It was good wherever we stayed in AB, BC and YT, both going north and returning southward. Just found a land line at public CG's or stores. Worked great and was very inexpensive. Then in AK, our Verizon cell phone worked in most towns and cities, including the inside passage when we took our ferry trip-no roaming or long distance charges.
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