GATINEAU — High costs, frequent network outages and slow speeds are the main complaints from Northern Canadians who expressed dissatisfaction with their home Internet service in focus groups and surveys conducted by Environics Research for a report released today by the CRTC.
The report was commissioned as part of the CRTC’s review of its regulatory framework for far north provider Northwestel and the state of telecommunications services in Canada’s North, a proceeding that was launched in early November.
Environics’ research was conducted between September and October 2020 and gathered information from residents in Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and northern British Columbia, a vast area where Northwestel is the dominant telecom service provider.
According to Environics’ report, only one-third of Northern residents with home Internet access expressed positive views about their ISP, with another three in 10 giving the service they receive an “average” satisfaction rating. Residents who were critical about their Internet service attributed problems to a lack of competition in their region, with focus group participants almost exclusively citing Northwestel as their home Internet provider. Some participants who reside in Nunavut said they use Qiniq (managed by SSi Canada) as their Internet provider.
Focus group participants in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut were generally satisfied with their landline and mobile phone services. However, some concerns were expressed regarding the lack of cell service outside city limits and the necessity of having to pay to maintain a landline to have an Internet package with Northwestel. In northwest B.C., residents have no cell service in their communities, which is a safety concern, according to the report.
To read the full report, please click here.
