Ottawa ON - Gatineau PQ

[kav2001c]

This idea has been posted before (even by myself once) but really needs another look

It seems silly that a call originating in Ottawa & terminates in Gatineau is a LOCAL call, yet those on provincial calling plans are unable to do so

A provincial long distance plan SHOULD cover a LOCAL call, regardless of what area code is

Whether Public makes an exception for those living there or lets anyone in ON dial it (after all with a Province wide long distance plan we can then call Gatineau from ANYWHERE in ON)

This issue needs to be resolved; many people make this daily commute and it sounds really weird repeatedly explaining that on a Province wide plan they can dial a city hundreds of kilometres away but can not place a LOCAL call

[CoolCanada]

I am not impacted by this but would be incredibly frustrating if I was. Public Mobile either needs to make some kind of exemption for cities on provincial boundaries so just replace province-wide calling with Canada-wide calling for everyone.

If there actually an increased cost to doing a cross Canada call?

[kav2001c]

This idea has the necessary traction 

Awaiting Public's response 

[barabasy]

It is really confusing for people at the border between provinces. I leave in Ottawa (613) and sometimes, I can call Gatineau (819) numbers and sometimes not while still being in Ottawa. I guess it depends on the tower on which my cell phone connected.

I think the most frustrating part is that incoming calls may not go through depending on where you are.

[canmike]

The way I have dealt with this is simply to add a long-distance add-on.

I live in Ottawa with a Toronto number--in Ontario, I can receive calls no problem. If I am calling an out-of-province number (even if that person is in Ontario, as are a number of people I know), I use google hangouts. When I am in Gatineau (or anywhere else in Canada outside Ontario), I can make phone calls with google hangouts, and I can receive phone calls via the long-distance add-on.

Especially with the 12GB of data over 90 days, even with the add-on, this is still the best package out there.

For some people, knowing when to go to hangouts dialer might provide confusion and be an obstacle, but it is no problem for me.

[zhadj030]

As an Ottawa resident that may get caught by a Gatineau tower I totally agree

[KanataGolfer]

I live on Ottawa and will be affected by this, but I am of the opinion that I am going into it with my eyes wide open. 

For now, I will have the long distance add-on to ensure my calls are received.  I have a SIP account that I will use for making any long-distance calls, and I recognize that is not a solution for everyone.

With everything, there is give and take.  The promo plan is a province-wide plan and I accept that and will manage.

[SWM]

I would have to agree that this issue should be dealt with. If it were as simple as once you cross the border from Ottawa to Gatineau or vice-versa then your provincial calling will no longer work. However, there are instances when you could be in your home province and your phone picks up service from a tower from the other province. In this instance, the user does not have the ability to select what tower his/her phone automatically connects to and can't use their service even though they are in their home province. This should really be addressed.

[DougG]

There are two main issues identified in this thread.

The first issue is local calling, and I think the ideal solution here is pretty clear: try to mimic the local calling rules Bell has had for landlines for a long time now, if technically feasible.

The second issue is out-of-province tower attachment, and this one I would say has the potential to be even more frustrating. Imagine driving along either side of the Ottawa River and you bounce back and forth across it, attaching to towers on either side. Imagine living on one side of the river and your phone consistently connects to a tower on the other side, because it's far stronger. (my in-laws are impacted by this, living in ON but strongest tower by far is in QC)

For the second issue, again not sure about technical feasibility, but it would be great if towers within, say, 10 KM of a provincial boundary could be given special handling, and be considered home province for both provinces.

These issues won't impact people from most places, including Toronto, at all. But a lot of people will be impacted, especially in the Ottawa area.

[kav2001c]

@DougG hit the nail right on the head

Ottawa just gets the most press since it is most populated area by far (I think 4th largest CMA population in Canada or so)

The ones in AB/SK & Maritimes are alot smaller population bases

[jairolevi]

Exactly, 819 and 613 are ONE local calling area: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_codes_613_and_343

---

 "Ottawa and its twin city in Quebec, Gatineau fall on the boundary between 613 and Quebec's area code 819. However, they share the same local calling area. As a result, local calls could be completed between Ottawa and Hull with only seven digits."

---

To add more silliness to this, I live in Ottawa, but my home phone is 819, I used to live in Gatineau and kept the home phone number for simplicity.   I can't call from my PM 613 number in Ottawa to my 819 home phone number in Ottawa!

I completelly understand OTT and GAT are different provinces, but all other carriers treat 613 and 819 as a ONE LOCAL CALLING AREA.

For now I just add the LD addon for the occasional 819 call, but if it was one local calling area it would definetelly atract more customers in the Capital region... very difficult to try to explain friends in Gatineau that they will need a LD add on or they wont be able to call 613 numbers.. specially because they have been calling 613 as LOCAL call for DECADES!

Thank you,

JL.