T Mobile and Verizon in Canada

[2yax2go]

We are headed to the Escape Rally in BC and currently have Verizon as our major cell provider. On another forum one of the posters is leading a caravan to Newfoundland and discovered that there is no DATA service available except at a premium prices through Verizon. So, since he needed a new phone anyway, signed up for TMobile as their calls, texts and data all work in Canada on their normally offered plans...even the ones with no contract.

Now....my question is....How IS the coverage in Canada?

We may continue East after the Rally and could use the coverage since it is quite likely our mobile Mi-fi will be unsuable do to the very high cost of data with Verizon in Canada.

Thanks

 

[Jim Bennett]

Now....my question is....How IS the coverage in Canada?

Technology is slowly getting incorporated into the igloos we live in.

Kidding aside, other than remote areas, like many mountainous regions, there is good cell coverage. Just about anywhere people live, there have coverage.

I know some folks with Verizon coming here have no issues, but those from the US with experience will know best.

 

[Ron in BC]

Technology is slowly getting incorporated into the igloos we live in.

Jim, could you put more wood on the fire to make more smoke. I couldn't read your last post.

I'd say our coverage mirrors the US situation. Coverage where the population is and in the middle of nowhere, not so much.

Ron

 

[SpokanEscape]

My sister has TMobile and has little coverage between Washington and Minnesota. We stick with Verizon because of better coverage in the less populated areas of the western US.

 

[sturski]

My Verizon contract has an "add Canada for $xx a month option". Lot's of fine print; but it worked just fine for us with no surprises or extra charges. We turned it on (permanently) a week before traveling, then turned it off when we returned.

 

[Jim Bennett]

My Verizon contract has an "add Canada for $xx a month option". Lot's of fine print; but it worked just fine for us with no surprises or extra charges. We turned it on (permanently) a week before traveling, then turned it off when we returned.

We do the same with TELUS when travelling to the US or Mexico. I forget what the included data is, but we never seem to go over, and use it a fair bit. It is one our account for one month, then drops off automatically, unless of course we add more time on it.

Off hand, I think the cost is $40/month.

 

[C&G in FL]

My Verizon contract has an "add Canada for $xx a month option". Lot's of fine print; but it worked just fine for us with no surprises or extra charges. We turned it on (permanently) a week before traveling, then turned it off when we returned.

I paid Verizon $15 for the Canada add on for a month last year. It included unlimited incoming texts, 100 outgoing texts, 100 minutes of talk time, and 200 or 250 MB of data (can't remember the number). I did so for "emergency" communication. I simply texted everyone just before the border and they knew to text me rather than calling. In two weeks I sent maybe 20 texts, used about 25 minutes of talk time, and less than 10 MB of data. And you can always find free WiFi somewhere.

 

[C&G in FL]

Jim, could you put more wood on the fire to make more smoke. I couldn't read your last post.

I'd say our coverage mirrors the US situation. Coverage where the population is and in the middle of nowhere, not so much.

Ron

Ron,
I think Jim has one of the newer igloos constructed after the new snow codes took effect. The rebar frozen into the snow/ice blocks for added strength in avalance zones interferes with cell phone transmission. With standard, nonreinforced blocks, cellular signals are not affected!

 

[cpaharley2008]

Craig and Josie,
My T-Mobile worked fine in Osoyoos and there were no additional charges. That said I only used it to make and receive calls, all internet data was via the cg or my truck hot spot both of which charges extra $$. The CG was in the process of upgrading their repeaters last year so everyone should have better service this year. Also you will need to get some Canadian $$ at the bank in town, the showers use loonies....and get some poutine while there.

 

[C&G in FL]

Craig and Josie,
My T-Mobile worked fine in Osoyoos and there were no additional charges. That said I only used it to make and receive calls, all internet data was via the cg or my truck hot spot both of which charges extra $$. The CG was in the process of upgrading their repeaters last year so everyone should have better service this year. Also you will need to get some Canadian $$ at the bank in town, the showers use loonies....and get some poutine while there.

The campground office will change Yankee dollars into loonies (at least they did for us last year) so a trip into town is not totally necessary, thereby foregoing the poutine. That works out well for me since I am not interested in a coprophytic dining experience.

 

[Brian B-P]

The U.S. carrier to which you have subscribed determines which Canadian network you will use, both in terms of technology (there are several mobile communication standards) and more importantly in terms of business deals. Your carrier will have made arrangements with one or more carriers in Canada, and if they went cheap you might find yourself with no service, surrounded by people on other networks who are getting all the service they need.

Even with the same carrier, your specific device will determine what network technology will work, so there's no single clear answer for questions such as "does Verizon work well in Canada".

If your carrier made their arrangement for Canada with Rogers... well, good luck with that.

 

[Brian B-P]

My T-Mobile worked fine in Osoyoos and there were no additional charges.

Since Osoyoos is on the border, that could possibly have been service from T-Mobile towers in the U.S... and it wouldn't work that way in most places.

 

[rbryan4]

Excellent points about it being dependent on your carrier and also the possibility that they were still able to use US towers due to the proximity of Osoyoos to the border.

It's always a good idea to add the international coverage before your trip, rather than authorizing it via the phone once you're there. Much less expensive.

I don't have to worry about any of that because I have a global phone that is paid for by my employer, but most folks aren't going to have that luxury.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rossue2]

The U.S. carrier to which you have subscribed determines which Canadian network you will use, both in terms of technology (there are several mobile communication standards) and more importantly in terms of business deals. Your carrier will have made arrangements with one or more carriers in Canada, and if they went cheap you might find yourself with no service, surrounded by people on other networks who are getting all the service they need.

Even with the same carrier, your specific device will determine what network technology will work, so there's no single clear answer for questions such as "does Verizon work well in Canada".

If your carrier made their arrangement for Canada with Rogers... well, good luck with that.

Right, so the question really is who is T-Mo's Roaming Partner in Canada? Do a search and it isn't easy to figure out. Most blather on about the rate plan attributes but as usual- if it sounds too good to be true, is it? A lot of fluff out there.

From PC Magazine I found some names, but it includes pretty much all the Canadian carriers. Really? "Roaming will come on Rogers, Bell, Telus, and WIND in Canada". Huh? Well to be fair, newer Verizon phones are also GSM capable with an unlocked GSM side- which means you can buy a prepaid card and use it now vs. trying to get AT&T to give you an unlock code

I love the un-carrier approach to T-Mobile and most of you in the U.S. don't know how great it was that AT&T wasn't allowed to buy them. The rates are much much better for that.

 

[Brian B-P]

Right, so the question really is who is T-Mo's Roaming Partner in Canada?
...
From PC Magazine I found some names, but it includes pretty much all the Canadian carriers. Really? "Roaming will come on Rogers, Bell, Telus, and WIND in Canada". Huh? Well to be fair, newer Verizon phones are also GSM capable with an unlocked GSM side- which means you can buy a prepaid card and use it now vs. trying to get AT&T to give you an unlock code

Yep, that's everyone. There are other brands, but they're generally just alternate brands or resellers of service from those four. Also, Bell and Telus share equipment, and Wind has almost no coverage on their own network.

The only one which was GSM back in the GSM or CDMA days was Rogers. All support LTE (the "convergence" technology), but LTE coverage is rural areas is sparse.