Population Density Slows Growth of Canadian Connectivity

Canada’s sparse population density has contributed to a weakness in consumer infrastructure, and this is reflected on the country’s 2009 rating.  Despite good broadband penetration, 3G penetration is low, ultra-broadband network creation has stalled and FTTH or NGA have yet to materialize. 

In terms of usage, however, the data is more encouraging:  Consumer internet usage and voice usage is very healthy, although SMS adoption is less widespread than in Europe.  Strong Canadian consumer internet habits have also helped to contribute to a government that offers an excellent range of online services.

Business usage is also strong, particularly in terms of purchasing goods on the internet and ICT user skills amongst workers.  Revenue from business data-services scores lower than that generated from traditional telephony, but this is not considered an indicator of weak business data use.  It is also important to note that Canada still scores below the United States in most business usage categories. 

Canada Connectivity Performance by Scorecard Component