Fido ROAM in the Yukon

[vudy]

I just arrived in the Yukon for a work trip and am surprised to find my data isn't working. I've read the forum posts on roaming and understand that Fido/Rogers don't have cell phone towers here, so my phone is on roam. What I can't figure out is whether ill be charged if I enable my data to roam. Can someone please enlighten me? 

[Cawtau]

Hello Vudy,

  Welcome to the community!

  You are correct in that Fido/Rogers do not have any cellular towers in the Yukon:

~taken from here.

  Depending on your area in the Yukon, there may be cellular towers from other providers to which your phone may connect. Using a different network within Canada is extended coverage (Fido-EXT). With the roaming agreements, there is no charge for using extended coverage. However, its usage is only meant to be on a temporary basis so there are some limitations to its usage (ie majority of your usage still needs to be your home network, 5 Extra Hours of data not available, etc). If your work trip is for an extended period, you might need to switch to the provider with the cellular towers in the area. As far as I am aware, having more than 50% of usage in extended coverage for 4 months in a row will likely result in the service being suspended (see here). 

  Are you able to use your phone for voice and text messages? If not, what plan type do you have? You should note that some plans (ie Basic plan) do not allow for roaming and therefore would not be eligible for extended coverage. If you are able to use your device for those services, enabling roaming data should enable your phone to use data while using the extended network. As long as your device connects to Canadian cellular towers, there would not be any additional fees.

  **edit** Aside: Modern smartphones do not have a setting to completely disable roaming. Disabling roaming data would not have prevented roaming for voice and messaging.**

Hope this helps 😀

Cheers

[vudy]

This is super helpful, thank you! I have a student plan. I'm having trouble tracking down the terms and conditions to verify whether I have extended roam. 

At this rate, it doesn't matter quite as much, as I am now in a community with no cell reception whatsoever! This has been quite the learning experience! 😅

[Cawtau]

Hello again,

  While I haven't been quite as far North as you currently are, I have found my experiences in more rural communities to be quite extraordinary. Hope you enjoy your experience up there!

  I understand the community does not have any cellular service. However, if you would like to verify whether your plan includes roaming, you would need to contact customer service.  In addition, they can also be contacted via Live Chat, Facebook, or Twitter. Those methods can be accessed via the contact page posted above.

Hope this helps 😀

Cheers

[BobC83]

Fido legally must provide you all terms and conditions applicable to you and your plan - including coverage areas and roaming terms.

It's your right to contact Fido and request a duplicate copy, electronic or paper, free of charge. They must abide by anything they send you. Anything not written in the agreement they send you is unenforceable - it must be disclosed upfront because the onus is not on you to know Fido's business as well as they do.