Annual government study shows prices for most wireless and home Internet services declined in 2023
Ottawa – Canadians deserve affordable and reliable telecommunications services. That’s why the government has introduced policies that promote competition and directed the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to focus on competition, affordability and consumer rights.
François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced the publication of the 2023 Price Comparison Study of Telecom Services, an annual report that tracks the prices for wireless and home Internet services.
The report shows that wireless prices have declined an average of 18.2% for data plans in 2023. This is consistent with the annual 18.6% price decline reported by Statistics Canada (Monthly change in the cellular services price index) for the same time period.
For home Internet, the report found prices decreased across all service plans in 2023. There were significant decreases on plans up to 100 Mbps, including decreases of 8.6% for plans offering the universal access target of 50 Mbps. These results are consistent with data reported by Statistics Canada (Monthly change in the Internet access services price index), which shows an annual decline of 5.9%.
This goes hand in hand with recently announced Budget 2024 measures, including amending the Telecommunications Act to better allow Canadians to renew or switch between home Internet, home phone and cell phone plans to find better deals. The government will continue fighting for fairer prices, increased transparency and more flexibility in the telecommunications sector.
“More competition is the key to making telecommunications services more affordable for Canadians. This year’s price comparison study shows our approach is working. Our government’s policy direction to the CRTC to focus on competition, affordability and consumer rights is clearly yielding results. Coupled with new measures proposed in Budget 2024, we will continue to advance policies that improve competition and promote better prices for Canadian consumers while giving them more power when it comes to telecom services.” – François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry