The Largest Telecom Providers in Canada

When the sector underwent privatization, some of North America's largest telecom companies were established. The wireless industry has a huge impact on the Canadian economy and contributed about $24.7 billion in GDP in 2015. According to a Communications Monitoring Report by the CRTC, nearly 73% of Canadians have a smartphone and there are over 30 million wireless phone subscribers in the country. However, there is a monopoly between a few giant companies. The top three companies are known to control nearly 90% of the entire market's share. Below are the three largest telecom providers in Canada.

Big three of the industry

With 10,274,000 subscriptions in 2016, Rogers Communications is the leading telecom provider in Canada. It is a communications and media company that is also one of the leading providers of high-speed internet, cable television, telephone services, and information technology in the country. The company particularly grew after purchasing the wireless network Fido in 2004. It also owns Chatr wireless network and is known to carry phones by a majority of manufacturers including LG, Apple, Samsung, HTC, and Nokia.

The second largest telecom provider in Canada is Telus with 8,600,000 subscribers in 2016. Back in 1990, Telus was used as a means of privatizing the Alberta Government Telephones Commission. It wasn't until the company was purchased by Ed Tel in 1995 that the provider rose as a consumer brand. Apart from offering wireless devices by most manufacturers, a major reason behind the company's success is the fact it was the first ever operator in North America to offer HSPA + Dual Cell technology.

Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. is the third largest telecom provider in Canada with more than eight million subscribers. BCE is one of the fastest internet service providers in the country with its 4G LTE wireless technology. BCE claims to have Canada's largest network of data centers that satisfy the business needs of the IT industry in the country. The provider also owns many prominent subsidiary companies in the telecom, media, and the sports industries such as Bell Mobility, Bell MTS, Northern Tel, Northwestel, CTV Television network, Montreal Canadiens Ice Hockey Club and MLSE.

Conclusion

Although Canada’s telecommunication industry is one of the most developed telecom industries in the world, there is still plenty of room for improvement. For the monopoly of the big giants to end, more companies need to enter the industry. The establishment of more companies will lead to competition and better service at a lower cost. It will not only benefit users but will also take the industry to the next level due to a competitive market.