Cell Phone Coverage in Alaska?

[travelfr33k]

Do all major cell phone companies work in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan? We have Virgin Mobil.

 

Thanks!

[GweninTX]

go to their website and look at the coverage maps. All cell phone companies have coverage maps and you can check the locations you will be in.

[thinfool]

I think that VM uses Sprint towers, so you might check Sprint coverage while you are at it.

[Ashland]

Check your cell phone before using it to make sure it isn't saying "Cellular at Sea" once on land we had service with our AT&T in these Alaska ports..

[PennyAgain]

Also when in the area of the reach of Canadian cell towers, be aware of Rogers as your service provider as that will cost you the earth and then some!

 

Even when you are standing with feet on earth, check your cell service provider on your phone!

[travelfr33k]

I checked and Virgin does not have coverage in Alaska. Also, I am reading online that many major cell companies here in the lower 48 don't work in Alaska... many people frustrated that they are always in a "dead zone". Can anyone confirm? We want a cell phone that will work and are willing to switch companies or pay extra for one. I read somewhere there is one that is specific to Alaska?

 

Thanks for any advice you can give.

[thinfool]

You might look at an ATT 'GO' phone. ATT is good all over Alaska.

 

GO phones are at places like Walmart.

 

Or you can change to a standard ATT cell plan.

 

Nope, don't work for ATT....just been to Alaska, have an ATT phone (standard plan) and it worked all over. :D

 

GCI is the Alaska cell company, but you definitely want their GSM service. Their CDMA service shows no coverage for the major cruise ports in SE Alaska.

 

GSM is also what ATT uses everywhere. So you have choices.

Edited February 26, 2011 by thinfool

[Texas Tillie]

I've used my Verizon in Alaska for the past 4 years and it works just fine in all the ports and along the main highways (Parks, Richardson, etc.) in the interior. No, you don't get a signal in the middle of Denali National Park or the Denali Highway (a gravel road running between the Parks and Richardson Highways). So, I guess the rule of thumb would be - cell phones if you're in a populated area - no cell phones out in the "real" Alaska! :D:p;)

[Jen1000]

Sprint worked in Juneau and Ketchikan but not Skagway. It did work once we were in Canada in the Carcross area. My brother has Verizon and his worked in all three. We actually had trouble using the phones on the ship as well in Alaska.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

Do all major cell phone companies work in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan? We have Virgin Mobil.

 

Thanks!

[travelfr33k]

Thanks! I'll price ATT and Verizon plans. We need to switch our family plan over anyway.

 

We are going to Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. Both ATT and Verizon good there?

 

Also, we are driving up to Emerald Lake from Skagway. Any chance they'd work there too? Just want to be sure we can get help if we have car trouble.

 

Thanks!

[thinfool]

Thanks! I'll price ATT and Verizon plans. We need to switch our family plan over anyway.

 

We are going to Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. Both ATT and Verizon good there?

 

Also, we are driving up to Emerald Lake from Skagway. Any chance they'd work there too? Just want to be sure we can get help if we have car trouble.

 

Thanks!

 

ATT should work there as, I believe, the cell system (Rogers) in Canada uses their protocol. (GSM) Using it in Canada will incur charges for international roaming, fyi.

[GranMona]

Our Verizon worked in all ports. I think they use a piggyback off the ATT towers, so either should work for you. Coverage gets sketchy a few miles from town so I don't know about Emerald Lake.

[cheriebrune]

We just got back on September 1st from a week long cruisetour with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines from Vancouver to Seward, continuing with a land tour to Denali National Park. Our Verizon cell service was poor in all the ports we stopped in--Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway, Seward and touring up to Denali. Occasionally we would get a signal that said "Extended" which I understand from a Verizon rep is an agreement with a local company to let them use their towers and provide cell service. Even connected to "Extended" we couldn't include a photo in a text as it would not send. We occasionally could get a text through but in many ports we didn't have ANY service. All the while we were touring in the bus, people with AT&T phones were joyfully texting away. At Skagway we asked if there was any cell service there and a local resident replied that there was an AT&T tower but AT&T customers had priority and everyone else was at the bottom of the list. With two cruise ships in port, we never were able to connect. If you do have Verizon, I would suggest a prepaid AT&T phone as a backup.

[theloo]

We have T-mobile and had coverage in every port and on the majority of our land tour, including, on the Parks Highway. We were even able to use our phone on board while docked in port (without roaming, or whatever).

[Giantfan13]

We also have Verizon and we had no problems in all the ports. We were able to make calls, receive calls and never lost a signal. Just don't know why others who use Verizon couldn't make a call. Verizon is excellent in Alaska.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[mapleleaves]

Just don't know why others who use Verizon couldn't make a call. Verizon is excellent in Alaska. Len

 

Part of the problem is ..... this thread is from 2011 !!!

 

Kinda odd that cheribrune would spend 2 weeks in Alaska, but their one and only post is in response to a 3 yr old thread about cell service ......