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| Cell Phone Coverage and Internet Availability on the B.C. Coast
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January 27, 2004
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W
e will be cruising from Anacortes to Prince Rupert this summer and need to know the extent of the cell phone coverage along the way. We also want to know which marinas offer wi-fi. I looked through the 2004 Waggoner Guide that arrived yesterday but could not find a summary table that provided this information. Did I miss it?
Thanks for your help. The new Guide looks like it will be very helpful in planning our trip.
Regards,
Bill Kellett
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Response
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We don't have summary tables of cell phone coverage and Internet/wi-fi access, because both are changing (especially Internet and wi-fi).
The consensus is that Verizon/Telus has the best cell phone coverage in Canada (we have Verizon). Reception is pretty good throughout the Strait of Georgia, spotty through the rapids, and pretty good again in Queen Charlotte Strait and a short distance out into Queen Charlotte Sound. Then, nothing until you get close to Chatham Sound, about 20 miles south of Prince Rupert. North of Cape Caution you'll find land line phones at Shearwater, New Bella Bella, Ocean Falls and Klemtu. Check with your cell phone provider for a payment plan that includes Canadian access. It'll save you a lot of money.
Most of the broadband Internet marinas are shown in the BroadbandXpress ad on p. 1 of the 2004 Waggoner, and the number of broadband marinas is increasing. BroadbandXpress does most of them, and its service is excellent. The new Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa is installing broadband access, and the Echo Bay Resort the Prince Rupert Rowing & Yacht Club have broadband access through other providers. Blind Channel Resort, Shawl Bay Marina, Sullivan Bay Marina and Shearwater have e-mail and Internet access. Shearwater's didn't work for us last summer, but I believe they'll have it functioning this coming season. There's no broadband access in the considerable parts of the B.C. coast that lack land line telephone service.
Most communities have at least one Internet cafe. It's best to ask around, as they seem to come and go. I'm told that public libraries have access. The Waggoner includes broadband or e-mail access in its individual marina listing information. More and more marinas are adding access, so if the service doesn't appear in our listing, it wouldn't hurt to call the marina and ask.
-- Bob Hale
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