Few Cell Phones Will Work along the Alaska Highway

A reader recently wrote me about using a cell phone along the Alaska Highway. Frankly, there's not much use for a cell phone along the highway in northwestern Canada simply because there is very little cell phone coverage except near Whitehorse and a couple of other towns.

To add to that, please note that my U.S.-based cell phone does not work at all from Tok, Alaska (about 90 miles from the Canadian border) until I get to Fort St. John in British Columbia, some 1,200 miles away. And then, when it does work, it is frightfully expensive. Every call I make in Canada means I have to pay roaming rates, regardless of the number of minutes I might have remaining on my contract. Usually this works out to something like $3 a minute.

I believe any active cell phone will work in an emergency if you dial 911--or so I've been told--and if you are in one of the rare coverage zones. I've never had cause to try this feature, so I have no first-hand experience with it.

Once you enter coverage areas in Alaska, your U.S.-based cell phone should work just fine, although it is worth noting that of the larger companies, only Verizon does not have a presence in Alaska. Also, there are vast stretches of road in Alaska with no cell phone coverage, just like in northwestern Canada.