Hi all!

I'm looking at three possible areas requiring cell phone coverage. (FYI right now I'm with telus)

-Ontario: Red Lake
-Northern B.C: Dease and Smithers and north.
-NWT: Yellowknife and vicinity.

I'm trying to figure out a feasable phone plan that could net me the least ammount of hassle, good coverage and a decent " free phone." It looks like I am gonna be hopping around between the three areas of a while! Thus, I am wondering what cellular provider you are with as well as what kinda coverage you recieve. And/ or what kinda plan you are using. I'm trying to decide on a plan but it seems like each provider I've talked to has NO CLUE! Telus told me I wouldn't be able to get coverage in CYXS! LOL! (I know this is B.S. for a fact) Yes, I know the info. is available on the internet but I am looking for some first hand experience here.

Thanks alot..

And yes..I know this is a bizzare post...

Thanks in advance!

CP!!!

free phone

Forget that in the NWT.Yukon unless you roll in with one.

Who are you using up there? JC?

Telus in YK, just can't get a YK number. If you have the fave 5 plan, and use your phone for local calls and the faves for your long distance, it works out.

I used a cell phone in Red Lake last year and was happy with the service. The provider was TBay Tel. If you come to them with your own cell phone they give you a pretty good deal. For 200 anytime min, free evening/weekends it cost me $20-25 a month with no contract. I cancelled at the end of the season, no fees.

While some people complained that the coverage area is small (not much beyond the three towns) it was never a problem for me. Planning to use it again this year.

mr. north i hear the cell service in kenora is much better, mabe you could sweet talk your boss into a transfer?

Having dealt with this issue and done all the home work the only carrier who will give you coverage anywhere in canada where there is coverage is Bell -- they suck but it's a fact -- if you travel a lot or are remote and need long distance get their canada business plan -- if you don't use many prime time minutes but like to be able to talk to friends and family -- if my mind serves me correctly you can get a 30 dollar plan which gives you about 200 prime time minutes with no long distance charges or roaming and you can call anywhere in Canada or the USA -- for another 30 dollars it give you unlimited calling from 6PM to 8am weekdays and weekends and that is also no charges for calling anywhere in canada or the usa -- txt messaging -- call display and such are extra but you can have great coverage -- ability to talk all you want as long as you want (after prime time) for $60 dollars a month and no need to get a land line. DAMN -- I had to put my daughters on that plan -- only way I could keep from getting my monthly bell heart attack. -- and yes if you can afford it -- stay the F*** away from contracts -- they own your soul then and you have no ability to turn your phone off if you need to -- if there are times when you won't need or want a phone just think turning your phone off for a couple months a year will easily pay for a phone.

As far as I know, Dease has no cell service. Smithers has coverage from any of the major providers I believe.

Take it from somebody who spends a whole lot of their time in out-of-the way places, Bell definately does have the best coverage in general. Your best bet would be to buy a slightly outdated Bell phone on ebay for pennies and sign up with no contract. You only get free phones if you sign your life away with a contract.

As part of AvCanada's customer service plan, I went to Red Lake, Inuvik, YZF and Bob Quinn Lake near Dease.

Bell worked as far as Vermillion Bay enroute YRL. Then quit. No service on anything except the irridium in middle of nowhere BC. Bell and Blue Ice Wireless worked at YEV, YZF.

My rogers phone worked in Alberta, and major places (like there's more than one) in Manitoba.

Irridium worked everywhere, without the myriad hidden cell phone user fees.

Cold beer worked at all locations.

I have travelled around and about. I'm with Telus, I get coverage pretty much everywhere that has a cell phone tower, mind you i'm sitting in YMO right now and I have no service but I think its a bell tower here. Works in YZF, YRL, not sure about Smithers or Dease but Telus would know. I have a razor, good phone up to now... Just can't call or text from the air?

thanks ski!

Have you operated out of Northwest ontario? How did telus perform out there?

Thanks!

To everyone else,

Thanks you for the advice all of you have posted. I appreciate it!

Thanks again!

Don't bother bringing a Rogers phone to Northwestern Ontario!

Telus has EVDO in Prince George. At least 1X in Smithers with EVDO probably following shortly (If it's not there already, Terrace had EVDO when I was there last), nothing in Dease Lake, and I wouldn't expect it anytime soon, seeing as it's pretty much BFN.

I can't speak for the rest of Canada but as far as BC and Alberta go, Telus will have the best coverage. They've also recently added a $30/mth unlimited Canadian long distance package. With a good plan, you could talk forever.

Telus works just fine in YRL.

Telus in NW Ont...

Red Lake works, Souix works, there is nothing for service on the reserves... All the "major" centers, T-Bay, Hearst... Everything on the TransCanada as far as I know.

Telus works on Baffin Island (Iqaluit)

Bell or Telus in Norman Wells, NT as well. Only cell service in town.

Feel free to use you Rogers phone as an alarm clock -- too bad it's nothing to call home about.

Bell has cell service in the Wells?

http://www.bell.ca/web/wireless/en/all_ ... ps/NWT.pdf

I just signed up for 3 years and I am not even up there yet so I hope to hell it works up in the NWT !!

With Bell you can get a local number in YZF and probably YEV, YVQ and maybe YUB but I am not sure. The girl had to go ask her manager about 15 times if we could do this or get that...

When you go to Bell's web site and choose NWT as your area it won't show you Wireless. Just call Bell and when you sign up they also waive the 35 dollar connection fee. Amazing how they don't tell you that on the web site. Saves them people hours and they make an extra 35 bucks. Arseholes

Good luck

I hear ya axial flow, I just got bent over for another three years as well. I had asked the service rep. if there was in fact service in the Wells, she gave me a big negative. Great to hear that I'll actually have some service up there!

Oh no, she was right, in a way...
You can call, but people in the Wells just don't listen.