Report: Canadians enjoy some of the world’s fastest internet speeds
By: calendar iconJuly 13th, 2012 a 2:14pm

Earlier this week we marked the one-year anniversary of Canada’s first LTE wireless network here at Rogers. With over 60% of the Canadian population on track to have access to the fastest wireless network technology in the world by the end of this year, it’s no wonder Canadians have been found to enjoy some of the fastest internet speeds globally, as well as lower mobile wireless prices and lower prices than in the U.S. for telecom services.

In a report released earlier this month by the CRTC, Canada’s wireline, wireless, and internet services were compared to those of other major countries. How did we fare relative to countries like the U.S., U.K., France, Australia, and Japan? Here are the highlights:

Canadians have access to increasingly faster internet service speeds.

Although the price for broadband internet service in Canada has increased since 2008, this is largely attributed to the significant increase in average service speeds offered by Canadian internet providers. For example, an average high-speed internet consumer with 50 GB of data usage per month saw a 100% advertised speed increase in their service – from 14.2 Mbps in 2011 to 28 Mbps in 2012.

When it comes to mobile internet service, due to investments in 4G LTE mobile internet access services, the report finds Canada’s average advertised speed is significantly higher than that of the other five surveyed foreign jurisdictions.

Canadians’ mobile wireless costs are decreasing.

In the wireless service baskets that most closely reflect average Canadian mobile usage, the price for mobile wireless service has decreased substantially over the last few years. An average consumer with 1,200 incoming/outgoing minutes, full set of optional features, 250 text messages and 1GB of data usage per month saw a 12% decrease in the price of his/her plan since 2008 – roughly 3% per year on average. Note that this figure does not take into account handset subsidies which are included in the price of wireless plans for Canadian subscribers, compared to European subscribers that are predominantly on prepaid or SIM-only plans. An inclusion of handset subsidies in this price comparison could result in an even higher reported percentage decrease in wireless price plans since 2008.

Canadians enjoy lower prices for telecom services than their neighbours to the south.

The CRTC’s study shows that Canadian wireline telephone, mobile wireless, and broadband internet prices are consistently and considerably lower than the average prices in the U.S. As well, when it comes to bundled service packages, some of which include digital TV services, from 2008 to 2012 average prices for a telecom bundle have always been cheaper in Canada than in the U.S. In 2012 alone, the average price difference between Canada and the U.S. for the same bundles ranged from $47 to $66 per month.

You can read a copy of the CRTC’s full report here.

Patricia is a regular contributor to RedBoard

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  1. Andrew Paolucci says: July 13th, 2012 a 2:42pm

    How is not being in the top 10 still considered some of the fastest speeds in the world? We could be #1 if a certain ISP with a monopoly decided to invest in some real infrastructure overhauls and maintenance. When it reaches the point where I can pull internet from a Sat-Link and it’s faster then a broadband connection something is seriously wrong.

    • Rogers_Chris says: July 13th, 2012 a 3:25pm

      According to the report results, although the overall price for broadband internet service has increased, this is offset by significant increases in average service speeds, Andrew.

      At Rogers, we have made significant investments in our network to increase our network capacity and ensure Canadians have access to the latest and greatest in internet technology. Since 2011, we have increased the download speed on our two most popular internet tiers while also increasing the monthly usage allowance.

      • Tom says: July 15th, 2012 a 11:00am

        Except that you refuse to give those increases to customers who still have a D2 modem. In order to take advantage, customers need to pay more for a D3 gateway which do not even function as well as the D2s! When is Rogers going to give customers what they want – a decent stand alone D3 modem?

  2. Ryan says: July 13th, 2012 a 3:05pm

    Of course – handset subsidies are included in the cost of EVERYBODY’s monthly wireless plan, whether or not they actually have taken advantage of a subsidized handset. Passing the savings along to EVERYBODY.

  3. Fix The CRTC says: July 13th, 2012 a 4:23pm

    This is NOT a “report released by the CRTC”.

    In fact it says right at the top of the first page: “The views expressed in this document are solely those of Wall Communications Inc. and do not necessarily represent the views of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission or Industry Canada.”

    Wall Communications is a lobbyist group paid by Rogers and Bell for activities that include providing “expert witnesses” at CRTC commissions and preparing reports that amazingly contradict all non-partisan reports ever made on this subject.

    • Rogers_Chris says: July 14th, 2012 a 4:40pm

      The CRTC commissions this international price comparison report annually from Wall Communications. We specifically refer to their 2012 update.

      • Fix The CRTC says: July 16th, 2012 a 9:11am

        I did not dispute that this report is paid for, nor that it is updated annually. I am pointing out that Rogers is wrong to imply that this PR piece is proof that the CRTC endorses Rogers or any other provider.

  4. Steve says: July 13th, 2012 a 11:33pm

    Seriously…you’ve increased the monthly usage allowance? I get a lowly 500Mb/month. Where’s my increased monthly usage allowance?

    • Rogers_Chris says: July 14th, 2012 a 10:17am

      That’s in reference to Rogers Internet, Steve, not Rogers Wireless.

      • Steve says: July 14th, 2012 a 6:17pm

        Sorry. but the article mentions 1Gb for wireless. Didn’t even know that was available. as for Internet…with Teksavvy I have, on average, 24Mbs with unlimited usage. all for $70 month. How is Rogers compared to that?

  5. Eric says: July 14th, 2012 a 2:24pm

    Yes, the “fastest in the world” with a 100$ package that promises a maximum of 2 megabits/second of upload. That’s TRUE SPEED! Right?

    The global average according to speedtest.net is 4 Mb/s and it’s an easy assumption that the average price to get a speed like that is far lower than 100$.

  6. MIJ says: July 15th, 2012 a 3:07am

    Couple of Things:
    1. Canadians are still paying a much higher wireless fee than European and Asian counterpart.
    2. Your internet speed can have whatever speed you claim but you are throttling traffic.
    3. We Canadians are on 3 year term to get a phone but in the US and any where of the world, the most contract term is 24 months.
    4. Your pre-paid plans are the most expensive compare to European and Asian rates.
    5. Canadians are being tied to your contracts to get savings, not on an individual service subscription basis.
    6. CRTC are ran by many former bug three executives and can you see their reports are neutral?

  7. Andy says: July 17th, 2012 a 9:08am

    lol at the wording in the report:

    “Canada’s average advertised speed is significantly higher ….”

    “….saw a 100% advertised speed increase in their service….”

    ADVERTISED speed? That seems to be a less than useful statistic to use.

    I’m not going to lie, I’m very happy with my Rogers internet… and although I obviously rarely, if ever, get the full advertised speed (nobody does), I’m pretty close… Of my 75 Mbps advertised speed, I can regularly get 50+ from quality websites… I really have no complaints with the service. I also find the service extremely reliable, if a bit pricey.

    But I still find the wording throughout most of the report interesting.

  8. Long-Time Rogers User says: July 18th, 2012 a 12:07pm

    You’re getting ready to raise our rates again, aren’t you?

  9. random72 says: July 19th, 2012 a 2:02pm

    We still suffer from some of the highest wireless prices in the world, especially when it comes to roaming.

    Three-year contracts are virtually unheard of anywhere outside of Canada, yet we still pay more for devices in many instances even after we sign our lives away in a vain attempt to get the ‘latest’ device at a reasonable price.

    The fact that this report was actually carried out by a company that does business with the incumbents isn’t surprising- the glowing language (apparently the Canadian wireless industry is perfect- who knew?) of the document is a dead giveaway.

    This industry is one of the most anti-competitive, anti-consumer, profit guzzling rackets in Canada. Their government protected markets ensure they’ll continue to charge us whatever they can get away with- there is absolutely zero incentive for them to actually compete, hence the customer is bound to pay virtually the same amount where he/she goes. There is no better alternative out there. Rememeber, this is Canada- no competition allowed.

    I suggest that if people want the truth about Canada’s wireless industry that they get their hands on international studies, like the ones produced by the OECD which are global in scope and free of bias towards the home team.

    I’ve seen the 2011 OECD report, and it views Canada’s industry a little differently than this CRTC-branded study.

  10. Rogers Royalist says: July 24th, 2012 a 11:35pm

    I’m pretty sure the broadband cable in Japan on average when compared to the cost ratio is cheaper and faster than Rogers..

    Also, I’m pretty sure that Rogers’ LTE at the moment is not very reliable…

    I am using Galaxy S3 from Rogers on LTE, and most of the times there is no LTE signal…