SEATTLE — The fibre offerings from Bell and Telus far outperform all other fixed broadband providers combined at the provincial level and in major Canadian cities, according to a recent report from Seattle-based fixed broadband and mobile network testing company Ookla.
The report uses new data from Speedtest Intelligence for Canada during Q4 2021 to analyze the speed advantage of fibre compared to other fixed broadband technologies such as DSL.
As Bell and Telus serve different parts of the country with their fibre offerings, Ookla “analyzed each province with an eye to how much faster the relevant fiber provider’s offerings are compared to the median speeds for all other fixed broadband providers combined,” reads a blog post highlighting Ookla’s findings.
“Bell Fiber was faster than the market average of other internet providers for median download speeds in New Brunswick (1.8x), Newfoundland (1.8x), Nova Scotia (1.9x), Ontario (2.4x), Prince Edward Island (3.1x), and Québec (3.3x). Telus Fiber was faster than other fixed broadband in Alberta (1.9x) and British Columbia (1.4x),” the report reads. (Please see the chart above.)
However, “upload speed is the major differentiator for fiber compared to other fixed broadband technologies,” Ookla’s report notes.
“Bell Fiber showed a huge advantage over other fixed broadband for median upload speeds in all provinces as follows: New Brunswick (7.4x), Newfoundland (10.9x), Nova Scotia (11.5x), Ontario (10.8x), Prince Edward Island (12.4x), and Québec (8.5x). Telus Fiber was faster than other fixed broadband for upload speeds in Alberta (7.5x) and British Columbia (5.3x).”
Ookla says there were “insufficient samples” to analyze Bell Fiber, operating as Bell MTS, in Manitoba where the province’s fixed broadband speed averages were 83.06 Mbps for download and 16.13 Mbps for upload, according to the report.
“Bell Fiber and Telus Fiber don’t provide service in the following provinces, but we’ve provided their median fixed broadband speeds for comparison: Northwest Territories (55.63 Mbps download/11.45 Mbps upload), Nunavut (insufficient data), Saskatchewan (68.43 Mbps/17.04 Mbps), Yukon (43.96 Mbps/10.56 Mbps).”
Looking at major Canadian cities (please see the chart below), Ookla’s report says: “Median download speed on Bell Fiber was faster than other fixed broadband in Halifax (1.5x), London (1.8x), Montréal (3.2x), Québec City (3.2x), St. John’s (1.0x), and Toronto (2.3x). Telus Fiber was faster for download speed than other fixed broadband in Calgary (1.2x), Edmonton (1.3x), and Vancouver (1.7x).”
Again, fibre upload speeds “tell a more dramatic story in major Canadian cities,” the report says.
“Bell Fiber’s median upload speed was faster than other fixed broadband in Halifax (11.4x), London (8.6x), Montréal (9.4x), Québec City (7.3x), and Toronto (11.0x). Upload speed set Telus Fiber apart as faster in Calgary (5.1x), Edmonton (5.6x), and Vancouver (6.6x).”
For more on Ookla’s report, please click here.
Charts borrowed from Ookla’s blog post.
