According to the first national, independent broadband performance study, Canadians are getting exactly the wireless speed they’re paying for.
The survey was commissioned to SamKnows, a UK-based broadband measurement company, by the Canadian Radio and Telecommunication Commission, and was completed during October and November of 2015. It demonstrates that Canadian broadband speeds sit between 109 and 122 per cent of advertised rates.
Most internet packages sold in Canada are marketed to be “as fast or faster than advertised rates,” which it turns out is exactly right.
The report’s one exception to these numbers is DSL services, which are advertised to run at five to nine megabits per second. These services delivered on 88 per cent of the advertised download speed and 85 per cent of the advertised upload speed.
According to Jean Pierre Blais, Chairman and CRTC CEO, Canadians now have a better insight into the performance of broadband internet services.
“Based on the preliminary findings, Canadians are receiving the broadband speeds they are paying for. This national project was the first of its kind in Canada, and we are grateful to the volunteers across Canada who participated as well as to the ISPs that partnered with us,” said Blais in the recently released study.
According to a public opinion report released by the CRTC on March 30, Canadian wireless activity has increased significantly over the last five years, in some cases by 50 per cent.
In addition, more than half of Canadians use their home internet connection more than their home phone or mobile phone services. However, only a third of Canadians are satisfied with the cost of their home internet service.
Blais goes on to say that this study will help the CRTC both while forming public policy and during the upcoming public hearing on telecommunications
Related reading: CRTC is seeking feedback on which telecommunications services Canadians rely on the most [Update]
[source]Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission[/source][via]CBC[/via]
