Internet and Cell Phone Plans and Usage Statistics in Canada

Canada is one of the world’s best-connected countries according to recent statistics on cell phone and internet use. Almost everyone has a mobile phone in certain age groups and landlines are fast becoming obsolete. Even the oldest generations are showing increasingly high mobile phone and internet adoption rates.

However, Canada has some of the highest prices for telecommunication, and the market is not showing any signs of potential price decreases.

In this article, we have collated statistics on internet and cell phone plans, the main companies in the industry, and how Canadians spend their online time.

Internet and Cell Phone Plans and Usage Statistics for Canadians

• The Canadian telecommunications market was worth approximately C$33.5 billion in 2025.
• Over 70% of the market revenue goes to the main service providers.
• A monthly internet plan costs between C$25 and C$200 depending on the speed and the provider.
• Faster mobile plans with more or unlimited data can cost up to C$120 per month.
• There were about 37.7 million cell phone users in Canada in 2025.
• Around four out of ten households in Canada no longer have landlines.
• Approximately 95% of Canadians have a mobile internet connection.
• Canadians spend 52% of their digital time on mobile devices.
• Reading and writing emails, online banking, and spending time on social media are the most common online activities in Canada.
• 57% of Canadians use smartphones to play games.
• Apple and Samsung are the most popular mobile phones in Canada.

Canadian telecommunications market

According to recent industry data, the wireless telecommunications market in Canada was worth approximately C$33.5 billion in 2025 (down from earlier estimates but reflecting ongoing revenue from mobile services and 5G growth). The average industry growth between 2015 and 2020 was 3.9 % while subscriptions rose by 4 % and the number of fixed broadband connections grew by 2.7 %.

The wireless telecommunications sector employs well over 117,000 people nationwide according to labour and industry reports, and the revenues are set to increase as even more people are increasingly switching from landline to mobile connections and data‑heavy services.

In Canada, the market is dominated by Bell, TELUS, and Rogers. Consumers might have heard of other brands, such as Fido, Koodo, Virgin, and Public Mobile, but they are all owned by the three major providers, and together the top carriers and their flanker brands account for roughly 85 %–90 % of wireless revenue and subscribers.

By 2025, the estimated major wireless subscriber counts are about 12.07 million for Rogers Wireless, 10.38 million for Bell Mobility, and 10.19 million for TELUS Mobility. Vidéotron (including Freedom Mobile under Quebecor) has approximately 4.26 million subscribers, and SaskTel Mobility has around 0.69 million subscribers. Total wireless subscriber connections in Canada are around 44.8 million (including IoT and mobile data connections).

Why is the internet so expensive in Canada?

Canadians have high-quality internet networks with good reliability and speed. However, Canada also has the second most expensive internet of the G7 countries after the United States. Why is it that Canadians pay more than, for example, the British or the French?

The major internet service providers receive 73.3% of the market’s revenues and can charge higher prices because there is not enough competition. Reasons for the lack of competition include high barriers to entry, restricted foreign investments, a history of privatisation, and the potential for price coordination.

Canadian Internet plans compared

On average, Canadians can expect to pay between C$25 and C$200 per month for an internet service. The cost depends on the provider and the speed of the service.

Typically, internet speeds range from 10 Mbps to over 1.5 Gbps depending on the provider and the network. Slower speeds are fine for households with limited internet needs, but households with multiple users and those who wish to stream content or play games will need faster speeds.

Here are some examples of internet prices in Canada at the time of writing. According to Finder, smaller independent companies will often have cheaper plans available. However, they are often slower because they are more likely to run on cable or DSL networks rather than fiber‑optic ones. They are good for users who only require the internet for basic use.

Some of the plans include Virgin’s 25 Mbps plan at C$40 per month, TekSavvy 6 Mbps for C$45 per month, and Acanac’s 25 Mbps plan for C$40 per month.

Users who need a faster connection can expect to pay a lot more for a fiber‑optic network. However, these plans usually come with unlimited data. Some of the plans include the 1.5 Gbps plan from Bell at about C$135 per month, Acana’s 1 Gbps plan at around C$90 per month, and the Ignite Internet Gigabit plan from Rogers at about C$120 per month.

Canadian cell phone plans compared

The cost of a cell phone plan will depend on the coverage and whether mobile data is included. Prices are higher in Canada compared to many other countries. However, prices have stabilised since government intervention in 2019.

According to HelloSafe, Canada’s three biggest providers Virgin, Fido, and Koodo charge C$45 per month for a plan with around 6 GB of data and unlimited domestic texts and calls. The cheapest plans are by Public Mobile at around C$20 per month and come with unlimited texts, 100 minutes of calls, and limited data.

Plans with more data, e.g. with 20 GB of data, cost around C$40 to C$50 per month. Faster plans with unlimited data cost even more. For example, Rogers Mobile has plans from about C$65 to C$120 per month for those who require more speed and more data.

Number of cell phone subscribers in Canada

In 2025, there were about 37.7 million mobile subscribers in Canada. Data from earlier years shows there were 37.0 million mobile subscriptions in 2023, and subscriptions have continued to grow to exceed 104 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2025.

The number of smartphone users in Canada is estimated at approximately 38.2 million in 2025. Canada’s smartphone user rate is above 90 % of the total population and continues to grow as older generations increase usage.

The rise of cell phone user numbers has been rapid, as in 2013 60 % of Canadians under the age of 35 reported using only a cell phone in their household compared to 26 % in 2008.

Latest statistics show that over 95 % of households in Canada have at least one smartphone and a growing share of households no longer have a landline service. Only around 60 % of households still have a landline. Residents of Alberta are most likely to have a smartphone at around 93 %, and the ownership is lowest in Quebec, with about 79 % of households having at least one smartphone.

Canadians living in New Brunswick are among the most likely to still have a landline, while Albertans have been among the fastest to discontinue landlines.

Mobile internet use in Canada

Trends show that Canadians are increasingly moving away from desktop usage and turning into mobile internet users. The mobile internet user penetration in Canada is approximately 95 % in 2025 and it is expected to maintain high levels through 2026. The share of internet traffic from mobile devices has grown significantly, with mobile connections now dominating device access patterns.

In a survey conducted by Statista in March 2024, only 10 % of Canadians did not use mobile devices to connect to the internet on the go.

Data usage in Canada

In 2019, Canadians consumed an average of 2.9 GB of data per month. By 2025, average mobile data usage per subscriber in Canada has risen to about 7.9 GB per month, reflecting significantly higher data consumption with modern smartphones and larger data plans. Data usage growth has continued as more users stream video and use data‑intensive services.

Over half of Canadians previously had mobile data plans of 5 GB or higher in earlier years; in 2025, more than three‑quarters of mobile subscribers have data plans with 10 GB or more per month.

Most of the digital time in Canada is spent on mobile devices

Studies on smartphone usage show that Canadians spend 52% of their digital time on mobile devices. This is less than in the United States, for example, where 61% of digital time is spent on mobile devices.

Millennials are the most likely to spend more of their digital time on mobile devices at 60%. They are also the most likely age group to own a smartphone with 95% of the generation having one. The time Canadian Millennials spend on mobile devices is around 3.2 hours per day, which equals almost one full day per week.

How do Canadians use their time online?

Checking or writing emails is the most common online activity in Canada with 90% of Canadians saying they write and check emails. The next popular activities are online banking at 71% and spending time on social media at 61%. Reading the news online is almost as popular as social media, with 58% of Canadians saying they use a digital device to read the news.

On average, 50% of Canadians shop online, although this figure was higher during the pandemic. 48% use the internet just for browsing and 47% for instant messaging. Almost half of Canadians 45% use the Internet to research travel options and 44% research products before buying. 40% are using their online time to watch videos, movies, and TV.

Gaming

While 57% of Canadians across all age groups say they use smartphones to play games, the percentage is around 70% for Canadians under 34. 30% of mobile gamers in Canada spend money on games and 6% spend over $250 in an average year.

Apple or Samsung?

Although there are Canadians who own other cell phones than Apple or Samsung, those two are the most popular brands in the market. In 2025, Apple had around 60.7% of the Canadian smartphone market share, while Samsung had about 22.8% of the market.

Across all the age groups, 5% of Canadian cell phone users prefer Apple over Samsung. However, in the younger age groups, the preference is 43%. Among the millennials, 62% of cell phone users have an Apple device, and 19% have a Samsung device. However, Samsung is more popular among the older groups with 12 % of baby boomers preferring them over Apple phones.

Mobile users in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta are more likely to choose Apple with 42 % of users having an Apple phone and 30 % a Samsung cell phone. Among users in Atlantic Canada, the figures are reversed with 42 % for Samsung and 30 % for Apple.

Conclusion

In 2025, there were over 104 mobile subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, and the smartphone user rate was over 90%. The smartphone market in Canada is still growing mainly because usage among the older generations continues to increase year by year.

The most common online activities in Canada include checking and sending emails, doing online banking, and time on social media. The Canadian cell phone market is dominated by Apple with over 50% of the market share.

While Canadians have access to some of the most reliable and fastest internet and cell phone networks in the world, Canadians pay considerably more for their internet and cell phone plans than people in other countries. The prices in Canada are kept high due to the lack of competition and the market being dominated by a handful of companies.

The prices have stabilised in recent years. However, they are unlikely to come down unless there is more competition for customers.