Last Christmas, Meaghan Oosterhoof was driving from Ontario to her grandmother’s house in rural Manitoba, battling against snow and fading light.
Roughly an hour before she made it to her destination, she hit a key turn-off on her journey. Before navigating the final set of backroads without signs in the growing blizzard, she had to send a text.
“It’s -40, the van’s struggling to keep the heat. I’ve got my three little ones in the back with snow pants on, blankets on,” she said.
“The sun is setting, the snow is blowing, and I’m texting my family within the area.”
Oosterhoof told her relatives to give them an hour to make the last leg of the trip and, if they weren’t there by then, to go looking.
The final stretch of the journey is a complete cell service dead zone.
With that experience, as well as her work in the forestry sector, Oosterhoof signed up for a pilot during the summer run by Rogers. The telecom giant was launching a satellite service, offering some coverage in areas where there had never been any before.
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It meant Oosterhoof could stay in touch with her family when she went on work trips to remote parts of Ontario’s forest network or stay in contact in highway dead zones.
“As my kids are getting older and they’re able to use the phones more, now I’m able to use the phone more,” she said.
“It’s the reliability of when I’m away — I can still check in with my family, I can still talk to them. Mommy’s not off the planet somewhere.”
The full satellite service officially launched on Tuesday, with coverage across Ontario and Canada for certain apps which have been pre-approved for the Rogers service.
The company said in a news release that WhatsApp, Google Maps, AccuWeather, X and CalTopo will all now work in remote locations, enabled by satellite internet connections.
“We’re proud to be the first and only provider in the country to offer this groundbreaking technology so Canadians can stay connected,” Rogers president and CEO Tony Staffieri said.
“No one covers Canada like Rogers, and with the launch, we’re making the service even better, giving people access to the apps they need most, including calling over WhatsApp in places they never thought possible.”
The pilot trial launched in July, with beta text messaging. Rogers said more than one million texts were sent during that period, with the most popular spot for the service in Ontario flagged as Algonquin Provincial Park.
The telecom giant says its satellite service costs $15 per month and will be expanded to include data and voice services, as well as 911 calls for all Canadians.
“With the Google Maps and the WhatsApp, we have our family chat on there,” Oosterhoof said.
“So it’s not, ‘Hey, pray for me. If you don’t hear from me in an hour, send the search party.’ You can follow where I am now; we can be chatting while I’m navigating.”
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