PARIS – We can likely watch for a renewed wave of stories and blogs about how far behind Canada is when it comes to wireless and broadband as compared to the rest of the world when the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development releases its latest Communications Outlook report, expected some time today.
The wave of negativity has washed over the country several times already due to various such reports, so just make sure you dig deeper than the easy, salacious, headline.
According to a source who has already seen the report, it will make headlines that will make those working in Canadian telecom, wireless and broadband wince a little, but a little digging some shows we fare pretty well.
For example, when it comes to wireline telephony, Canada is ranked as one of the top five least expensive (which is a factor in our lagging wireless penetration. Why go wireless, some people believe, when their existing home phone is so cheap?)
The 2011 OECD rankings also place Canada in the top 10 countries for the higher volume usage baskets that best reflect typical usage in Canada. While we may fare poorly in some of the other metrics, it’s worth noting the OECD’s wireless rankings examine just two plans each from Bell and Rogers and do not factor in Telus’ or any other company’s rates at all.
The report also does not recognize nor break down how a large number of Europeans often pay for two or more wireless subscriptions, for a number of reasons such as on intra- and inter-country roaming, said the source who has seen the new report.
Also, the presence of three national wireless carriers and six regional providers places Canada among the top six most competitive wireless market structures in the OECD, says the report. Canada’s average wireless voice costs are also among the lowest in the countries in the OECD report.
On broadband, Canada ranks as the 10th-best when it comes to average connection speed but again, only plans from Bell, Rogers and Shaw were put into the calculation, said the source.
Watch Cartt.ca for more when the full report is released.
