2018 Canada - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Last updated: 27 Apr 2020 Update History

Report Status: Archived

Report Pages: 163

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

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Summary
Table Of Contents

Publication Overview

This report provides a comprehensive overview of trends and developments in Canada’s telecommunications market. The report analyses the fixed-line, mobile and broadband sectors. Subjects include:

Market and industry analyses, trends and developments;
Facts, figures and statistics;
Industry and regulatory issues;
Infrastructure developments;
Major Players, Revenues, Subscribers, ARPU, MoU;
Mobile Voice and Data Markets;
Broadband (FttP, DSL, cable, wireless);
Mobile subscribers and ARPU;
Broadband market forecasts;
Government policies affecting the telecoms industry;
Market liberalisation and industry issues;
Telecoms operators – privatisation, IPOs, acquisitions, new licences;
Mobile technologies (GSM; 3G, HSPA, LTE, 5G).

Researcher:- Henry Lancaster
Current publication date:- August 2018 (14th Edition)

Executive Summary

Canada consults on a range of spectrum assets for 5G use

The Canadian telecom market continues to show steady development as operators invest in network upgrades. Much of this work is being supported by regulatory efforts to ensure that operators have spectrum available to develop 5G services, for which a several auctions are planned between 2019 and 2024. Assigning and releasing spectrum for 5G will allay existing fears that the country could lag developments in the US and Europe. In addition, the regulator has set aside a portion of certain spectrum for new entrants to encourage competition in the wireless segment. Much of the investment among telcos has been channelled into LTE infrastructure to capitalise of consumer demand for mobile data services, while there has also been further investment in 5G.

There has also been a concentration of investment in fixed-line infrastructure, focussed on FttP and, among cable broadband providers, upgrades to the DOCSIS3.1 standard. This is having the effect that the DSL segment is beginning to lose market share as customers are migrated to fibre.

At the same time, fixed-line telephony services are dwindling as customers make greater use of mobile networks and VoIP options. Revenue from the broadband and mobile sectors is underpinning overall telecom sector revenue while the fixed-voice sector continues to decline.

Canada’s broadband penetration rate is several percentage points above the OECD average. Government policy has encouraged the extension of broadband to rural and regional areas, with the result that services are almost universally available and the emphasis now is on improving service speeds to enable the entire population to benefit from the digital economy and society. Cable broadband is the principal access platform, followed by DSL. The main cablecos are upgrading their networks to the DOCSIS3.1 standard, which can deliver data at 1Gb/s and above. Fibre deployments are also gaining momentum, with a growing number of Gigabit towns now connected.

The mobile penetration rate remains comparatively low by international standards, and so the market offers further room for growth. Canadians are well provided for LTE and LTE-A infrastructure. Despite topographical challenges and the remoteness of many areas, the major players effectively offer 99% population coverage with LTE. In the 5G segment, Telus and Bell Wireless were early triallists, followed by Shaw Communications in May 2018.

The government has endeavoured to encourage market competition by ensuring that blocks of spectrum have been reserved for new entrants, while preventing deals among operators which would have concentrated spectrum either regionally or nationally. About 43% of spectrum to be auctioned in the 600MHz band has been reserved for smaller operators in a bid to encourage competition.

This report provides a broad range of key statistical data on the major telecoms segments, as well as developments in e-commerce and e-health and policies which support the adoption of smart meters and the progress of smart grids. It provides an overview of each major sector, an analysis of market developments and an assessment of operator strategies. The report also covers the mobile voice and data markets, as well as the fixed-line and fixed-wireless broadband sectors.

BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the Coronavirus in 2020 is having a significant impact on production and supply chains globally. During the coming year the telecoms sector to various degrees is likely to experience a downturn in mobile device production, while it may also be difficult for network operators to manage workflows when maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure. Overall progress towards 5G may be postponed or slowed down in some countries.

On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, will offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect should be a steady though reduced increased in subscriber growth.

Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the crisis as it develops, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report.

The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions.

Key developments:

SaskPower and SaskEnergy install smart meters and upgraded gas meters;
Shaw doubles broadband data rate to 300Mb/s via DOCSIS3.1;
SaskTel opens its first Tier 3 data centre, invests in Northern Fibre Expansion project;
Regulator opens consultation on managing a planned $750 million broadband fund for rural and underserved areas;
Vidéotron extends DOCSIS3.1 service;
Bell Canada to invest $854 million to deliver Gigabit fibre to Montreal;
Ontario Broadband Project developments;
Eastlink launches 200Mb/s broadband service;
OneGigabit launches in Vancouver;
Shaw completes 5G trials;
Government sets up $400 million public-private partnership to exploit benefits of 5G;
Auction for residual 2500MHz licenses completed;
Bell Wireless launches quad band LTE-A services offering peak data rates of up to 950Mb/s, develops an LTE-M network to support IoT devices
Government opens consultation on 600MHz auction, expected in 2019;
Report updates include the regulator's market data report for 2017, telcos' operating data to Q2 2018, assessment of the global impact of COVID-19 on the telecoms sector, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report:

Rogers Wireless, Bell Mobility, Virgin Mobile Canada, Telus Mobility, SaskTel Mobility, MTS Allstream, Freedom Mobile, Mobilicity, Public Mobile, Vidéotron Wireless, Shaw Communications, Bell Canada, Bell Aliant, BOLDstreet Wireless, Tadaa Wireless, DoDo Wireless, Hotspotzz, Wayport, Boingo, FatPort, Rogers Communications, Craig Wireless System, Barrett Xplore, I-NetLink, SaskTel, Vidéotron, Shaw Cablesystems, Rogers Cable Communications, Cogeco Cable.

Key statistics
COVID-19 and its impact on the telecom sector

Economic considerations and responses
Mobile devices
Subscribers
Infrastructure

Telecommunications market

Overview
Regulatory authorities

Fixed network operators
Telecommunications infrastructure

Overview of the national telecom network
International infrastructure
Smart grid developments

Ontario
Alberta
Québec
British Columbia
New Brunswick
Saskatchewan

Broadband market

Introduction and statistical overview

Market analysis
Broadband statistics

Forecasts – broadband subscribers – 2019; 2021; 2023
Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) networks

Introduction
Shaw Cablesystems
Rogers Cable Communications
Vidéotron
Cogeco Cable

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks

Introduction
Bell Canada
Telus Corporation
SaskTel

Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP)

SaskTel
Bell Canada
Rogers
Telus
Ontario Broadband Project

Other fixed broadband services

Fixed wireless (Wi-Fi and WiMAX)
Satellite

Digital economy

E-health
E-commerce

Digital media

Videostreaming
Cable telephony and VoIP

Mobile communications

Market analysis
Mobile statistics

General statistics
Mobile voice
Mobile data
Mobile broadband

Forecasts – Wireless subscribers – 2019; 2021; 2023
Regulatory issues

CRTC and Industry Canada
Licenses
Roaming
Wireless Code

Mobile infrastructure

5G
4G (LTE)
3G
Other infrastructure developments

Major mobile operators

Rogers Wireless
Bell Wireless (Bell Mobility)
Telus Mobility
SaskTel Mobility
New entrants

Mobile content and applications

M-payments
Machine-to-Machine (M2M)
LTE-M

Glossary of abbreviations

List of Tables

Table 1 – Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities- Canada – 2018 (e)
Table 2 – Telecom, broadcasting revenue– 2007 – 2016
Table 3 – Telecoms revenue by type – 2006 – 2016
Table 4 – Telecoms revenue by type of provider – 2008 – 2016
Table 5 – Telecoms investment by type – 2006 – 2016
Table 6 – Telecoms investment in spectrum – 2012 – 2016
Table 7 – Take-up of services by type – 2011 – 2015
Table 8 – Average household spend on telecom services by type ($ per month) – 2012 – 2015
Table 9 – Proportion of fixed-only and wireless-only household – 2004 – 2015
Table 10 – Fixed-lines in service and penetration – 2007 – 2019
Table 11 – Fixed-line retail voice revenue – 2002 – 2016
Table 12 – Fixed-line retail and wholesale revenue – 2006 – 2016
Table 13 – International internet bandwidth – 2009 – 2016
Table 14 – Retail broadband market revenue – 2001 – 2018
Table 15 – Broadband availability through Economic Action Plan – 2010 – 2012
Table 16 –DSL and cable broadband subscribers – 2001 – 2018
Table 17 – Fixed-line broadband subscribers and penetration – 2004 – 2018
Table 18 – Proportion of fixed broadband subscribers by data rate – 2011 – 2018
Table 19 – Household broadband availability by platform – 2012 – 2018
Table 20 – Household broadband availability by data rate – 2011 – 2018
Table 21 – Market share of internet subscribers by platform – 2010 – 2018
Table 22 – Fixed broadband traffic by subscriber – 2011 – 2017
Table 23 – Broadband ARPU – 2012 – 2018
Table 24 – Forecast - broadband subscribers –– 2019; 2021; 2023
Table 25 – Cable broadband revenue – 2011 – 2015
Table 26 – Shaw Communications subscribers – 2010 – 2018
Table 28 – Rogers Cable financial data – 2010 – 2018
Table 29 – Rogers Cable subscriber data – 2010 – 2018
Table 30 – Vidéotron subscriber data – 2008 - 2017
Table 31 – Cogeco subscribers by sector – 2009 – 2018
Table 32 – Residential DSL broadband subscribers – 2011 – 2015
Table 33 – Bell Canada (BCE) financial data – 2008 - 2018
Table 34 – Bell Canada revenue by division – 2008 – 2018
Table 35 – Bell Canada subscribers by sector – 2008 – 2018
Table 36 – Historic - Bell Aliant subscribers by sector – 2008 – 2014
Table 37 – Historic - Bell Aliant financial data – 2008 – 2014
Table 38 – Historic - MTS financial data – 2007 – 2014
Table 39 – Historic - MTS revenue by sector – 2007 – 2014
Table 40 – MTS subscribers by sector – 2007 – 2013
Table 41 – Telus financial data – 2006 – 2018
Table 42 – Telus subscribers by sector– 2007 – 2018
Table 43 – SaskTel financial data – 2007 – 2018
Table 44 – Historic - SaskTel subscribers by sector – 2007 – 2013
Table 45 – Proportion of homes connected by fibre (incumbent telcos) – 2014 – 2018
Table 46 – Fibre broadband subscribers – 2006 – 2018
Table 47 – Retail e-commerce sales – Canada – 2003 – 2018
Table 48 – TV service revenue – 2012 – 2016
Table 49 – Proportion of TV revenue by platform– 2012 – 2016
Table 50 – IPTV revenue – 2007 – 2016
Table 51 – IPTV subscribers – 2007 – 2016
Table 52 – IPTV ARPU – 2012 – 2016
Table 53 – VoIP subscribers – 2009 – 2016
Table 54 – Wireless subscribers and penetration – 2000 – 2019
Table 55 – Mobile revenue by service type – 2002 – 2016
Table 56 – Multiple SIM card use as proportion of subscribers – 2011 – 2015
Table 57 – Prepaid and post-paid sector revenue – 2010 – 2016
Table 58 – Market share of subscribers by operator – 2015 – 2016
Table 59 – Retail wireless revenue – 2008 – 2018
Table 60 – Mobile ARPU – 2012 – 2016
Table 61 – Average mobile data user per subscribers – 2014 – 2016
Table 62 – Mobile device penetration by type – 2012 – 2016
Table 63 – Mobile broadband availability by technology – 2011 – 2016
Table 64 – Total SMS and MMS sent – 2009 – 2018
Table 65 – Text messages sent per month – 2002 - 2018
Table 66 – Text messages sent per month per subscriber – 2014 – 2016
Table 67 – Active mobile broadband subscribers – 2005 – 2018
Table 68 – Forecasts - mobile subscribers - 2019; 2021; 2023
Table 69 – Proportion of mobile contract plans by term length– 2013 – 2016
Table 70 – Rogers Wireless revenue, operating profit – 2002 – 2018
Table 71 – Rogers Wireless pre and postpaid subscribers – 2009 – 2018
Table 72 – Rogers Wireless churn – 2009 – 2018
Table 73 – Rogers Wireless ABPU – 2009 – 2018
Table 74 – Bell Wireless operating data – 2006 – 2018
Table 75 – Bell Wireless financial data – 2006 – 2018
Table 76 – Historic - MTS wireless revenue, ARPU – 2007 – 2014
Table 77 – Historic - MTS subscribers – 2007 – 2014
Table 78 – Telus Mobility revenue, EBITDA – 2003 – 2018
Table 79 – Telus Mobility prepaid and postpaid subscribers – 2009 – 2018
Table 80 – Telus Mobility ARPU and monthly churn rate – 2002 – 2018
Table 81 – SaskTel Mobility revenue – 2009 – 2018
Table 82 – Historic - SaskTel Mobility subscribers – 2007 – 2013
Table 83 – Vidéotron mobile subscribers – 2008 – 2018

List of Charts

Chart 1 – Telecom, broadcasting revenue– 2007 – 2016
Chart 2 – Telecoms revenue by type – 2006 – 2016
Chart 3 – Proportion of fixed-only and wireless-only household – 2004 – 2015
Chart 4 – Fixed-lines in service and penetration – 2007 – 2019
Chart 5 – DSL and cable broadband subscribers – 2001 – 2018
Chart 6 – Fixed-line broadband subscribers and penetration – 2004 – 2018
Chart 7 – Fixed broadband traffic by subscriber – 2011 – 2017
Chart 8 – Shaw Communications subscribers – 2010 – 2018
Chart 9 – Rogers Cable financial data – 2010 – 2018
Chart 10 – Rogers Cable subscriber data – 2010 – 2018
Chart 11 – Vidéotron subscriber data – 2008 – 2017
Chart 12 – Bell Canada (BCE) financial data – 2008 – 2018
Chart 13 – Bell Canada revenue by division – 2008 – 2018
Chart 14 – Bell Canada subscribers by sector – 2008 – 2018
Chart 15 – Telus financial data – 2006 – 2018
Chart 16 – Telus subscribers by sector– 2007 – 2018
Chart 17 – SaskTel financial data – 2007 – 2018
Chart 18 – Wireless subscribers and penetration – 2000 – 2019
Chart 19 – Proportion of mobile contract plans by term length– 2013 – 2016
Chart 20 – Rogers Wireless pre and postpaid subscribers – 2009 – 2018
Chart 21 – Bell Wireless financial data – 2006 – 2018
Chart 22 – Telus Mobility revenue, EBITDA – 2003 – 2018
Chart 23 – Telus Mobility prepaid and postpaid subscribers – 2009 – 2018

List of Exhibits

Exhibit 1 – Major submarine cables landing in Canada
Exhibit 2 – AWS-3 auction results – March 2015
Exhibit 3 – 700MHz auction results – February 2014
Exhibit 4 – 700MHz auction licensees by province – February 2014
Exhibit 5 – 2.5GHz spectrum auction results – April 2015

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2018 Canada - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Purchase this Report

Canada consults on a range of spectrum assets for 5G use

Key developments:

Companies mentioned in this report:

Key statistics

COVID-19 and its impact on the telecom sector

Telecommunications market

Fixed network operators

Telecommunications infrastructure

Broadband market

Digital economy

Digital media

Mobile communications

Glossary of abbreviations

Purchase this Report

Share this Report

TMT Intelligence

A platform to scale your intelligence tasks

Research Methodology

Hot Topics

News & Views