Long the bane of people trying to get online while onboard, there's finally a reason for the terrible Wi-Fi service this summer onboard BC Ferries.
They cancelled it on July 5. Why it was terrible before that is up to the mystics to figure out.
It appears the fact that BC Ferries pulled the plug on onboard Wi-Fi — like a well-hidden Easter egg — has taken several weeks for people to discover. Apparently, dead links don't smell after a month.
Normally the news media will jump on stories when press releases are sent out, but BC Ferries hid this nugget at the bottom of a community project notification about Wi-Fi being added to rural terminals.
"Reliable, high-speed internet service at terminals helps you better access online ferry service information and the internet for personal use," they state.
The terminal Wi-Fi is coming thanks to a $1.5-million grant.
“The addition of free Wi-Fi for BC Ferries' customers at some of the smaller, more remote terminals is important for those who might not otherwise have cell service,” says Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, in a press release. “It gives travellers an opportunity to connect before their voyage and brings this Wi-Fi service in line with what people receive at many of the larger terminals along the coast.”
Unfortunately, despite what sounds like a team of engineers and scientists studying the issue over charts and beakers for months, that same service can't be extended over water, despite being first offered more than a decade ago.
"Extensive research and analysis of various technology solutions has shown it is not possible to improve the Wi-Fi service on our ferries to the level expected by users and we continually receive complaints about the quality and reliability of the service," states BC Ferries.
They suggest using your cellular data plan instead. Notably, Canada has some of the most expensive data plans in the world.
Also, notably, the most popular route (Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay) has patchy cell service and technically passes through the U.S. (so some providers are pretty sure someone posting a selfie from the deck of the Coastal Celebration is actually making a cross-border run and should be charged roaming fees).
On a related note, BC Ferries recently launched a new platform for people to order food online while on the ferry.
To continue to offer onboard Wi-Fi service they say they'd have to upgrade the technology and make things...worse.
"These newer radio devices have a large reduction in the amount of power we can apply to its network radios, which would further reduce the reliability and quality of on board Wi-Fi," they write. "Installing the new devices also has a high cost, and we would need to pass these costs on to our customers."
If you're thinking, 'But I used the internet on a cruise a couple years back,' they have an answer for that as well.
"Cruise ships also use satellite which is easily accessible closer to the equator," they explain. "The satellites available at our high northern latitudes are limited and would still not provide an adequate service."
Onboard Wi-Fi has been removed from three routes (essentially the Vancouver-Victoria and Vancouver-Nanaimo routes as well as the Vancouver-Sunshine Coast route). Since it's fairly spotty and they don't list it for any other routes, it's hard to say if there's still Wi-Fi on any other routes.
It appears few, if any, are sad about it.
