Forum Discussion
Alaska Coverage
I am going to Alaska and would like to know more about the coverage. I already checked the coverage map and it indicated that there is "partner coverage". I also read that the partner coverage is...
Hola @leahrenae76
Do you have a regular monthly account (postpaid) or are you prepaid?
Do you know where all you'll be yet?
Roaming in Alaska will be on either GCI or AT&T.
When you're on GCI, it's treated like you're on T-Mobile's network from a bucket. In the places where you might see AT&T, texting/calling is just like normal (included in your plan if you've got a normal postpaid account). For data roaming, you can check out Preguntas frecuentes sobre roaming nacional de datos to see how much data you might have available. We have a great roaming deal with GCI, AT&T isn't quite as generous.
As for coverage, I drove from Canada across through Fairbanks, down to Anchorage and the peninsula below, then back out to Canada. Coverage is generally pretty good. Obviously it's Alaska so there's a lot of nature but if you've looked at the places on the coverage map and it shows service then you should be at least able to call and text. I was chatting (both carrierS), texting (both carriers) and even streaming music/videos (on GCI) throughout my trip.
Any updates for 2023 on roaming data in Alaska? Several points:
- Based on a press release in June 2020 (see its headline at the bottom here), T-Mobile and GCI inked a new partnership that allows T-Mobile customers to roam in Alaska on GCI's 5G network (as opposed to 2G). If you Google "T-Mobile Alaska GCI", the first thing in the list should be this press release, which is on T-Mobile's website.
- For domestic roaming, T-Mobile says it has two types of roaming partners: standard and preferred. Is GCI a preferred partner? Based on the press release noted in #1 above, surely GCI must be preferred? Does this mean that domestic roaming on GCI in Alaska allows for more than 200MB of data? Surely so if this data is 5G?
Has anyone had any recent experience on GCI in Alaska, specifically in Anchorage? Did you hit a data cap? Did you get 5G? Customer Service at T-Mobile has no clue about the roaming situation in Alaska. All they can do is quote the standard domestic roaming policy: 200MG cap per cycle, and 2G speeds. They have no clue about standard vs. preferred domestic roaming partners.
If T-Mobile has made a strategic decision to not build out its native network in Alaska but instead rely on a roaming partnership with GCI (which does have the best coverage in Alaska), then surely T-Mobile will not apply its silly domestic data caps there of 200MG at 2G.
