great-loop@lists.trawlering.com
Cruising America's Great Loop and other inland routes
View all threadsCanadian cell phones and e-mail
Mike and Cindy asked...
I am a Verizon cellular customer so I know I need to get the
Canada option added to my account. Can anyone tell me if
adding their National Access option for data will help me get
to the internet thru the cell system in Canada? Does it allow
data transmission while Roaming on the Canadian cell phone
companies' networks?
Dennis replies...
For the past several summers we have successfully changed from America's
Choice Verizon plan to their National plan, which includes Canadian
coverage without extra roaming fees. You will have to make the change PRIOR
to leaving the States. We did it in South Burlington, VT easily. Oswego may
have a full service office, or maybe not. If going west from Albany, I'd
try to do it from there. In theory, you can do this either on line or by
phone, but we had better luck person to person in an office.
On return to the States, you may be faced with a demand for increased
monthly fees. We successfully argued against this and we able to reinstate
our previous plan. We were able to use the cell phone to access e-mail, and
other light web access off hours and weekends without any additional
charges for the service in all of the Richeleau, and most of the Rideau and
Trent Severn systems. In Georgian Bay, cell towers are few and far between,
and coverage is spotty. But lots of restaurants are happy to let you use a
phone line for a few minutes included with the price of a meal.
Dennis
Dennis Bruckel, Cruising Editor
Waterway Guide
M/V Sadie B, Albin 27
Cell 407 414 0531
Website: www.debruckel.com
A man who is not afraid of the sea will be drowned,
for he'll be going out on a day when he shouldn't.
The Arron Islands, J. M. Synge
Mike and Cindy and list:
When we did the Great Loop during the summers of 2002, 2003 and 2004 we
had no trouble using our Verizon cell phone with Quick Link Mobile
(MacIntosh) or Quick to Link (PC's) in most of Canada. We go up to the
Trent-Severn waterway every summer (Sparrow Lake) and learned in the
summer of 2005 that Verizon had canceled all its Digital DATA contracts
with Rogers (the cell phone company in Canada) and we could no longer
use the cell phone with our laptop to do Email, etc.
We had no trouble with Verizon North America's Choice which includes
Canada non-roaming for cell phone use, but it still does not work for
Internet and Email use. To obtain Internet and Email, we changed over
to Verizon's WWAN "Air Card" (Wireless Wide Area Network). It allows
you to obtain BroadbandAccess in the Major Markets in USA and Canada and
outside of the BroadbandAccess areas, you can get NationalAccess almost
anywhere you can make a digital cell phone call. Even works in the
Northern part of Michigan and the list of available towers for Ontario
(on the Verizon web site) is 40 pages long!
Check out our article on Wireless Communications on our web site under
Cruising Articles.
John and Judy Gill
Two J's V
AGLCA Loopers
Web site: < http://homepage.mac.com/twojscom/GreatLoop/ >
---=====
Dennis Bruckel wrote:
Mike and Cindy asked...
I am a Verizon cellular customer so I know I need to get the
Canada option added to my account. Can anyone tell me if
adding their National Access option for data will help me get
to the internet thru the cell system in Canada? Does it allow
data transmission while Roaming on the Canadian cell phone
companies' networks?
Dennis replies...
For the past several summers we have successfully changed from America's
Choice Verizon plan to their National plan, which includes Canadian
coverage without extra roaming fees. You will have to make the change PRIOR
to leaving the States. We did it in South Burlington, VT easily. Oswego may
have a full service office, or maybe not. If going west from Albany, I'd
try to do it from there. In theory, you can do this either on line or by
phone, but we had better luck person to person in an office.
On return to the States, you may be faced with a demand for increased
monthly fees. We successfully argued against this and we able to reinstate
our previous plan. We were able to use the cell phone to access e-mail, and
other light web access off hours and weekends without any additional
charges for the service in all of the Richeleau, and most of the Rideau and
Trent Severn systems. In Georgian Bay, cell towers are few and far between,
and coverage is spotty. But lots of restaurants are happy to let you use a
phone line for a few minutes included with the price of a meal.
Dennis
Dennis Bruckel, Cruising Editor
Waterway Guide
M/V Sadie B, Albin 27
Cell 407 414 0531
Website: www.debruckel.com
A man who is not afraid of the sea will be drowned,
for he'll be going out on a day when he shouldn't.
The Arron Islands, J. M. Synge