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Browse Statistics Canada's published data and analysis on the telecommunications industry.
Connecting Canadians: Telecommunications in Canada
Economic measures
This section provides estimates of the economic impact of the mobile telecommunications industry using the input-output model for output, jobs and value added to gross domestic product (GDP).
Share of gross domestic product
In 2019, the gross value added of the mobile telecommunication industry represented 1.2% of Canada's gross domestic product at basic prices. This includes value added from the industry itself, its supply chain and impacts on spending from wages generated by the production (directly and indirectly) of the industry. More information on share of gross domestic product
Output
In 2020, the total output generated by the mobile telecommunications industry was 45.2 billion dollars. This includes revenue from the industry itself, its supply chain and impacts on spending from wages generated by the production (directly and indirectly) of the industry. More information on output
Gross value added
Gross value added is a measure of the contribution to gross domestic product (GDP). The contribution to GDP by the mobile telecommunication industry was 25.5 billion dollars in 2020. This includes value added from the industry itself, its supply chain and impacts on spending from wages generated by the production (directly and indirectly) of the industry. More information on gross value added
Jobs
In 2020, the number of jobs created by the mobile telecommunications industry is estimated to be 145,700. This includes jobs created by the industry itself, its supply chain and impacts on spending from wages generated by the production (directly and indirectly) of the industry. More information on jobs
Prices and household spending
This section includes information on the changes in prices experienced by consumers and the amount spent by households on cellular and Internet access services.
Monthly change in the cellular services price index
Consumer prices for cellular services decreased by 14.8% in July 2023 compared to July 2022.More information on monthly change in the cellular services price index
Annual average change in the cellular services price index
On an annual average basis, consumer prices for cellular services declined 5.2% from 2021 to 2022, while the all-items Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 6.8% over the same period. More information on annual average change in the cellular services price index
Monthly spending on cell phone services
In 2019, households across all income quintiles spent approximately $112 per month on cell phone and pager services or 1.8% of total monthly expenditures after tax. More information on monthly spending on cell phone services
Monthly change in the Internet access services price index
Consumer prices for Internet access services decreased by 3.8% in July 2023 compared to July 2022. More information on monthly change in the Internet access services price index
Annual average change in the Internet access services price index
On an annual average basis, consumer prices for Internet access services declined 1.1% from 2021 to 2022, while the all-items Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 6.8% over the same period. More information on annual average change in the Internet access services price index
Monthly spending on Internet access services
In 2019, households across all income quintiles spent approximately $61 per month on Internet access services or 1.0% of total monthly expenditures after tax. More information on monthly spending on Internet access services
Labour
This section provides information on earnings, employment, and trends in education levels and labour productivity in the telecommunications sector.
Employment level
In 2022, the wired and wireless telecommunications industry employed 102,309 people. More information
Average weekly earnings
In 2022, the average weekly earnings for the wired and wireless telecommunications industry was $1,574, or $81,851 on an annual basis. This is higher than the service industry average weekly earnings of $1,110, or $57,701 on an annual basis. More information on average weekly earnings
Education level
In 2022, the percentage of employees in the telecommunication industry with a bachelor’s degree or above was 42.0%, up from 24.6% in 2002. More information on education level
Share of women in executive positions
In 2020, women held 16.4% of director board seats and 26.8% of officer positions in the telecommunications industry. More information
Labour productivity level
In 2022, labour productivity in the telecommunications industry was $156.80 per hour, while it was $61.10 per hour for all industries. More information on labour productivity level
Labour productivity growth
Over the last decade (2012 to 2022), labour productivity in the telecommunications industry grew by 19.5% (+1.8% per year on average), while it increased by 9.5% (+0.9% per year on average) in all industries. More information on labour productivity growth
Wireless networks infrastructure and coverage
Wireless networks are used to make phone calls and access the internet throughout Canada. This section provides information on data usage, access to and availability of wireless networks in Canada.
LTE coverage map
This map shows Long Term Evolution (LTE) coverage in Canada. The shaded areas show where LTE networks are in operation, and the non-shaded areas show where there are no LTE networks currently in operation. More information on LTE coverage
Access to mobile networks
In 2021, 99.4% of Canadians had access to LTE networks and 87.8% of Canadians had access to 5G networks. More information on access to mobile networks
Mobile subscriptions
The number of subscriptions to mobile services in Canada was 33.6M in 2021, up from 32.4M in 2020. More information on mobile subscriptions
Data usage
Canadians used an average of 4.7 GB of mobile data per month in 2021, up from 3.7 GB reported in 2020. This was below the OECD average of 8.4 GB of mobile data usage that was reported in 2021. More information on data usage
Download and upload speeds
For the period of April 1st to June 30th, 2023, the National average mobile network download and upload speeds, were 61.9 Mbps and 10.7 Mbps respectively, as experienced by all users across the mobile networks of all operators. For reference, it is recommended that a minimum download speed of 5.0 Mbps is used to stream HD quality video, or 25 Mbps for UHD (4K) video. More information on download and upload speeds
Internet services infrastructure and coverage
Residential high-speed Internet services are provided to homes through various technologies such as DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), cable, FTTH (Fibre-to-the-Home)/ FTTP (Fibre-to-the-Premises), satellite, and fixed wireless technologies. This section provides information on data usage, access, availability and subscriptions to residential high-speed Internet in Canada.
Broadband Internet service availability
This map gives an overview of broadband Internet coverage in Canada in 2021. Shaded areas indicate where broadband Internet services are available, and unshaded areas indicate where no broadband Internet services are available. More information on broadband Internet service availability
Access to broadband Internet services
In 2021, 91.4% of Canadian households had access to unlimited broadband Internet coverage with at least 50 megabits per second (Mbps) upload and 10 Mbps download speeds (often referred to as “50/10”), meeting the Government of Canada’s goal for national broadband availability in 2021. More information on access to broadband Internet services
Residential broadband Internet subscriptions
The number of residential broadband Internet subscriptions in Canada was 12.4M in 2021, up from 12.0M in 2020. More information on residential broadband Internet subscriptions
Average monthly data usage per high-speed residential Internet subscription
In 2021, the average monthly data used per high-speed residential Internet service subscription was 443.9 GB, an increase of 15% from 2020. More information on average monthly data usage per high-speed residential Internet subscription
Investment
This section includes information on investment commitments as well as the prime rate and exchange rate applicable to these investments.
Research and development
Total in-house research and development (R&D) spending in the telecommunications industry was roughly $837 million in 2020, a decrease from 2019 ($840 million) and 2018 ($845 million). More information on research and development
Capital expenditures
Capital expenditure in the wired and wireless telecommunications industry was 10.0 billion dollars in 2020, or roughly $260 per Canadian. More information on capital expenditures
Spectrum
In 2021, 1495 spectrum licences were auctioned in the 3500 MHz band for a total value of $8.8 billion dollars or $2.26 per MHz per person ($/MHz-Pop). More information on spectrum
Prime rate
The current prime interest rate is 7.20. More information on prime rate
Exchange rate (USD/CAD)
The current exchange rate is 1.3485 Canadian Dollars for one US Dollar. More information on exchange rate
Smartphone use
Increased functionality of smartphones has changed the way Canadians interact with one another. This section provides data on the use, activities and habits of smartphone users in Canada.
Percentage of Canadians who own a smartphone
In 2020, 84.4% of Canadians owned a smartphone, an increase of 4.1 percentage points since 2018. More information on percentage of Canadians who own a smartphone
Smartphone habits
51.2% of Canadians check their smartphone as the last thing that they do before going to sleep. More information on smartphone habits
Cord cutting
In 2019, 45.1% of households in Canada reported they had a cellphone and no landline, up from 10.0% in 2010. Close to 85% of households with a respondent less than 30 years old reported they had a cellphone and no landline. More information on cord cutting
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commission Communications Market Reports
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Communications Market Reports (CMR) provide financial and performance information on Canada's communications market sectors. The CMR are intended to support an open and informed public discussion of broadcasting and telecommunications regulatory policies and issues.