BC Ferries WiFi - Telus we need you!

[LStar]

Anyone who travels Vancouver > Vancouver Island or the Sunshine Coast well knows the frustration that is the BC Ferries wifi.. they installed it perhaps 5 years ago and I doubt it has had any attention ever since. It is notorious for being unavailable, and not delivering on the promise of wifi during sailing/while waiting at terminals.

Suggestion is to partner with BC Ferries to be the exclusive provider and secure naming rights, perhaps advertising interstitial before joining the network, email-gate for login, timed expiration (ie 30 mins free) and even paid premium options so business travellers can reliably work during travel (following the model of many airports/planes). Perhaps premium is free for folks who have a Telus home internet connection.

Huge opportunity to make many people very happy and put Telus top of mind for consumers - many of whom would be connected to Shaw at the moment.

Thanks!

[AppleTVlife]

What you are describing is 2 connected problems:

1. Unlike a standard home, the ferries must get their internet connection either through cellular or satellite. Cellular can be unreliable traveling around the islands, and satellite can be quite expensive, which of course BC ferries can't afford.

2. In terms of the Wi-Fi connectivity itself, you would need a mesh Wi-Fi system to make it work reliably and well. TELUS itself does not make any routers themselves, the routers they give customers are provided mostly by actiontec. If BC ferries wanted to get a good mesh Wi-Fi system it would cost them a lot as well.

If TELUS would find a way to balance these costs that would be great!

[Scoto]

Hi @LStar

We're always looking for opportunities like this and have passed the idea on to our business team to consider. Thanks for taking the time to offer the suggestion and for providing some context. Appreciated 🙂

[jennypurr]

I agree!  I use the Sunshine Coast ferry far too often and I don't even bother trying to connect to the wifi anymore as it's such a poor signal.

[Scoto]

Good to see your support, @jennypurr. Make sure you hit the like button, too.