CRTC releases 2014 report on the state of the Canadian telecommunications industry

OTTAWA–GATINEAU, Sept. 25, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today released information on the telecommunications sector from the 2014 Communications Monitoring Report.

The report shows that more and more Canadians are adopting smartphones and tablets. Over 62% of the population owns one of these devices, and 39% of Canadians use tablets – an increase from 2012, when the percentages were 51% and 26%, respectively. In 2013, 90% of wireless service subscribers were the customers of one of Canada's three major providers.

The percentage of households that subscribed to Internet services remained stable, from 79% in 2012 to 80% in 2013. However, the percentage of subscribers with download speeds of 5 megabits per second or more increased by 5% reaching 67% (including satellite services) in 2013. The market share of small service providers competing with the three major providers in Canada increased as well, from 9% in 2012 to 10% in 2013.

The availability of Internet service with a download speed of 5 megabits (Mbps) per second or more rose from 82% of Canadian households in 2009 to 94% in 2013. Monthly rates varied widely by province and whether the area was rural or urban. With the exception of the territories, the least expensive monthly fee for a 5-Mbps broadband service varied between $25 and $49 in urban areas and $32 and $55 in rural areas.

More and more Canadian households are abandoning landlines. The number of residential phone lines dropped by 6%, from 12 million in 2012 to 11.2 million in 2013.

Telecommunication service revenues increased by 2%, reaching 44.8 billion dollars in 2013.

This year, the Commission is releasing the Communications Monitoring Report in three parts. The first part is containing data on the broadcasting sector and was released on September 4, 2014. Today, the Commission released the second part, which contains telecommunications-sector data. The third part will be released in mid-October and will include data on international comparisons, the National Do Not Call List and consumer spending on communication services.

Quick facts

Wireless services

• According to the Media Technology Monitor (MTM), over 62% of the population owns a smartphone, and 39% of Canadians use tablets – an increase over 2012, when the percentages were 51% and 26% respectively.
• Wireless service networks were accessible to 99% of the population, the same as in 2012.
• In 2013, the percentage of Canadians with access to fourth-generation wireless networks (LTE or long-term evolution) increased from 72% to 81% in a year.
• The market share in terms of revenues for wireless service companies competing with the three major providers went from 6% to 8% between 2012 and 2013.

Internet

• In 2013, broadband availability for residential services (excluding satellite) was 97% nationally; 100% in urban areas and 84% in rural areas.
• The percentage of subscribers with download speeds of 5 megabits per second or more increased by 5% reaching 67% in 2013.
• The average number of gigabytes downloaded per month by residential service subscribers increased by 57% between 2012 and 2013, rising from 28.4 to 44.8 gigabytes.
• The market share of independent providers increased, from 9% in 2012 to 10% in 2013.

Landlines

The number of residential telephone lines dropped by 6%, a decrease from 12 million in 2012 to 11.2 million in 2013.

Revenues and expenditures

• The revenues generated by the wireless service industry grew to $21.2 billion, a 3.8% increase over 2012.
• The revenues generated by the Internet service industry grew to $8.1 billion, a 7.1% increase over 2012.
• The revenues generated by the wireline voice communication industry dropped to $10.6 billion, a 4.5% decrease from 2012.
• In 2013, telecommunication compagnies allocated $9.2 billion to capital expenditures for maintaining, improving or expanding networks.

Quotation

"The second part of the Communications Monitoring Report addresses the state of the Canadian telecommunications industry, and contains data that could be of great use when we initiate our hearing on wholesale mobile wireless services. With over 28 million subscribers and representing 46% of the total revenues of telecommunication services in Canada, wireless services are the core of the Canadian telecommunications system."

Jean-Pierre Blais, CRTC Chairman

Related product
Communications Monitoring Report 2014: Telecommunications Sector

These documents are available in alternative format upon request.

SOURCE: Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

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