Measuring Broadband Canada project

What is the Measuring Broadband Canada project?

This project measures broadband Internet performance, including actual connection speeds, in Canadian homes.

First and second phase

We completed the first phase with the publication of the SamKnows’ phase 1 report in 2016. The project’s second phase was conducted in October 2019, followed by the publication of the SamKnows’ phase 2 report in September 2020. Both phases measured the fixed wired Internet service performance of Canadian Internet service providers (ISPs).

We collaborated with several Canadian ISPs and SamKnows, a UK-based company specializing in broadband measurements.

The data collected during both phases from approximately 5,000 Canadian volunteers from across the country:

Third phase

In 2022, the CRTC in partnership with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) started conducting the third phase of the project. This phase was focused specifically on the performance of fixed wireless Internet services using any technology, with download speeds of 50Mbps or faster provided to Canadian homes. The goal of the testing was the same as the previous phases, although the testing was focused on fixed wireless.

How is data collected for the Measuring Broadband Canada project?

A device known as a Whitebox is connected to a volunteer’s home Internet modem or router and monitors the broadband performance when no one is using the Internet connection. This performance data is made available to the volunteer via a Web portal and is also available to the CRTC and the ISP providing the service in anonymized form.

Several performance indicators are measured, including Internet speed, latency, and web access times. The data used to measure Internet speed is taken from the location of the service provider to your doorstep. It does not test for Internet speed within different parts of your home. There are many factors that may impact broadband speed and user experience inside the home compared to broadband performance up to the doorstep of the home.

Factors that may impact broadband performance include:

Measuring Broadband Canada 2020 report

A report with data on the performance of individual ISPs and their specific service offerings was published in September 2020. The report provides regional performance metrics and compares the performance of various forms of fixed and wired Internet technologies. The data from this report was collected from October 1, 2019, to October 31, 2019. The report indicated that:

The following elements were measured:

Tables presenting all the data can be found in the Measuring Broadband Canada 2020 report.

Measuring Broadband Canada 2016 report

A preliminary report with data focusing on performance by region and access technology was published on March 31, 2016, and a final report with data on the performance of individual ISPs and their specific service offerings was published in September 2016.

Both reports provide regional performance metrics and compare the performance of various forms of fixed and wired Internet technologies. The reports indicated that:

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