OTTAWA — The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) has provided updated data about the changes in traffic volumes and usage patterns that have occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Its most recent report, released Friday, looks at wireless and wireline traffic volumes through the month of May, as some regions of Canada began to loosen restrictions on the mobility of citizens and the reopening of some businesses. (The CWTA’s previous report looked at traffic volumes in March and April.)
Among the data highlights of the new CWTA report, Managing Networks in Unprecedented Times – Part 2, are the following:
- Wireline home Internet traffic increased as much as 28.4% for downloads and 59.2% for uploads. This represents a slight moderation of traffic volumes compared to the highs in March and April, but still much greater than pre-Covid volume.
- Mobile data traffic volume continued to vary widely with changes ranging from +41.5% to -25% for download traffic and +40% to -13% for upload traffic.
- The median change in traffic volume for mobile data shows that download traffic volumes began to approach pre-Covid levels in the later part of May, with upload traffic volumes surpassing the pre-Covid baseline by 13.2%.
- Mobile voice call minutes continue to remain high, with increases of as much as 45.2%.
More information about the CWTA’s Managing Networks in Unprecedented Times – Part 2 report is available here.
Network operators surveyed for the report include Bell, Rogers, Telus, Shaw/Freedom, Videotron, SaskTel and Tbaytel.
