10 years without change
In 2001, Canada was considered a global leader in Internet connectivity, ranking third in broadband penetration (high-speed Internet access of at least 1.5Mbps) and leading most of the developed world in that area. At this time, 85% of Canadians were able to access high-speed Internet at 1.5 Mbps and Canada had the third highest number of broadband subscribers per capita in the world at 11.1 subscribers per 100. The pace of this adoption was also leading internationally with 100% growth in subscribers every year from 199 to 2001. A national task force on broadband recommended that 1.5 Mbps broadband be universally available to Canadians by 2004.
Ten years later, Canada is no longer a world leader in broadband penetration, ranking 13th globally in broadband subscribers, a drop of 10 positions in 10 years. Seven years after the recommended target for Canada to have universal broadband accessibility (2004), the number of homes with broadband availability has finally hit 95%. The table below compares Canada's broadband penetration per 100 inhabitants to the leading OECD country on a yearly basis.
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| Leading OECD Country Canada |
In 2001, Canada’s 1.5 Mbps standard for broadband access was comparable to the other global leaders, unfortunately, Canada still uses that 1.5 Mbps target for availability 10 years later. While the speed of Internet available in Canada has increased over the past decade, it has not kept pace with the other global leaders in Internet. When comparing the average advertised rate of available broadband, Canada ranks 22nd internationally, below the OECD average. Over the last decade, other global leaders have seen more than a 50 fold improvement in the speed of their broadband, resulting in average offered speeds over 50 Mbps and even up to 80 Mbps. Canada on the other hand, has increased broadband speed from 1.5 Mbps on average to 20 Mbps on average, a substantially smaller increase than other leading countries.
Overall, Canada’s role in broadband has been reduced from leading the world in Internet access and quality to lagging behind numerous countries and there is a risk that Canada’s global position in broadband will continue to slide. Examining national broadband plans, the OECD identified that Canada is one of only a few OECD countries without specific broadband targets and timeframes. Canada is currently revisiting national broadband planning through its ‘Building a World Class Digital Infrastructure’ process. Hopefully these efforts will help drive Canada to reposition itself once again as a global leader in broadband adoption and growth, returning to where we were 10 years ago.
OECD National Broadband Plans:
International Telecommunication Union: Case of Canada Report:
National Broadband Task Force Report:
ITU Digital Access Index:
CRTC Monitoring Report 2010
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