Cell Phone Coverage in the Broughton Island Area
Greenway Sound, Sullivan Bay, Shawl Bay, Echo Bay
Cell-phones can be a major disappointment to new boaters in our area. The expectation, of course, is that the phones work anywhere. Our area is quite
mountainous, so the limited cell signals are blocked out in many bays and coves.There are two cell services in the area, Telus (formerly BC Tel) and Rogers AT&T Wireless (formerly Cantel). Each service puts out a straight line signal to receive your call from their cell tower anntennas. The signal is very similar to a flashlight beam. A flashlight beam will not go around corners, nor will a cell signal. Also like a flashlight, there is a limit to how far away one can receive a signal. So the closer to a tower, the better the service.
Telus, has two cell towers. One is at Alert Bay and the other is at Port Hardy. They are by their airports. So, for the best service, you should be able to see the airports. The airports are marked on your charts. The Alert Bay tower covers much of Johnstone and Knight Inlet, and entrances to the Broughtons at Fife Sound and Wells Passage at James Point. To see a cell area coverage map for Telus click here.
Telus (formerly BCTel) & Bell Mobility serves these formats: Analog, IXRTT, & CDMA (Verizon, Bell Systems, others).Rogers AT&T Wireless (formerly Cantel) has recently added another signal tower at Alert Bay. This is in addition to the signal tower between Port Hardy and Coal Harbour, a few miles south of Port Hardy. Reception should be good anywhere around Queen Charlotte Strait that is not blocked by mountains. Also, service should be good in Johnstone and Knight Inlets. To see a cell area coverage map for Rogers AT&T Wireless click here.
Rogers AT&T Wireless (formerly Cantel) serves the following formats: Analog, GSM, & TDMA (AT&T, Nextel, Cingular, others).Both systems cover the boating area quite well up to Campbell River. After that, there are no-service areas coming North, until you get in the range of Alert Bay. West Johnstone, and all of Queen Charlotte Strait, along with western Knight Inlet area should always have service. So, make your calls out in the open where the signal is the strongest, away from the hills if you can.
For U.S. Visitors: WILL MY U.S. CELL PHONE WORK IN CANADA?
Probably, YES. There are many new add-on "deals" being offered now from all the cell phone companies that provide "roaming" in Canada. We encourage you to contact your cell phone service provider, and ask about roaming in Canada. Also ask if you will be using the Telus system or the Rogers AT&T system. Their coverages are different, although not a lot in our boating areas.
Thanks to Evan Burkosky of Cellular Express, Metrotown, Burnaby, BC, 604-433-8000 (eburkosky@avu.ca) and Sam Sakura of "Advanced Cellular Technologies, 3020 17th Ave. South, Seattle Wa 98144, 206-423-3000 or scsakura@cablespeed.com for their help in creating this section for you. Both are fine cell phone service providers.
Telus Prepaid Cellular is a good option for US visitors. Several towns within BC have Telus dealers or retailers (accessible by boat). They can sell you a Telus cell phone with prepaid minutes in denominations of $25 or $50 to start. During your voyage, if you need it, you can add to the prepaid amount with a phone call, charging it to your credit card. You can check your balance at any time by calling #321. For more information, check out www.telusmobility.com/bc/cellular/prepaid2.htm.
Greenway Sound Marine Resort has installed a reflector antenna to brighten the signal in our bay only. Thinking again of the flashlight beam, it is similar to a mirror, bending the signal around the mountain. Like a flashlight, a certain amount of the signal is lost in the bending.
Our experience has been that the older-style 3 watt phones connected to a fixed antenna on the boat will work at Greenway Sound Marine Resort, using our mirror antenna. The small hand-held phones are still marginal at best, and work only in certain places on the dock.
If instant communications are essential for you, contact Greenway Sound Marine Resort for more information. We will help you know your options.
