ISP profits margin up 1% in 2006 over 2005: Statistics Canada

OTTAWA – The operating profit margin for Canada’s Internet Service Providers was 20% in 2006, up 1% from 2005, according to statistics released Monday by Statistics Canada. Operating revenues for the industry rose 11% to $2 billion in 2006 from a year earlier, while operating expenses were up 10% to $1.6 billion, according to Statistics Canada. Salaries, wages and benefits accounted for 29% of operating expenses, while telecommunications expenses, including leased line charges from upstream providers, accounted for 28%. Some 77% of their operating revenues came from the provision of Internet access in 2006 – a figure unchanged from 2005....