BC Ferries removes Wi-Fi from major sailing routes
BC Ferries has removed its Wi-Fi services on vessels sailing along its most popular routes, following numerous complaints about its quality.
The internet service was powered down on July 5 for the following routes: Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay, and Horseshoe Bay to Langdale.
BC Ferries says the move comes after years of increasing complaints about the poor connection quality, and the lack of a feasible replacement system.
"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," reads an update on the BC Ferries website.
BC Ferries first introduced Wi-Fi aboard sailings in 2010 through its own land-based radio devices.
The company says that over the past 11 years, demand for the Wi-Fi has risen from about 40 to 50 users per sailing to more than 900, which strains the system.
Any replacement system, such as satellite or cellular technology, would be prohibitively expensive and would likely be unable to accommodate the volume of users per sailing, according to BC Ferries.
An airline can offer internet services for passengers because planes carry far fewer passengers than the roughly 2,100 passengers that sail on larger BC Ferries vessels, says the company.
Moreover, changes in radio standards means that Wi-Fi coverage would be even worse in the future if BC Ferries kept its current system in place.
"The existing Wi-Fi service runs on a ship-to-shore network using wireless network radios which we would need to upgrade and certify under newer, stricter Radio Frequency (RF) regulations," says the company.
"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 onboard Wi-Fi."
Free Wi-Fi service is still available at most BC Ferries terminals, including Tsawwassen, Swartz Bay, Horseshoe Bay, and more than a dozen others.
BC Ferries notes that cellular coverage is still available on most routes, meaning people with data plans on their cellphones can still connect to the internet.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.