Shaw still fastest fixed broadband provider in latest quarter
SEATTLE — Telus Communications was once again the fastest mobile operator among top providers in Canada in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to Seattle-based mobile and broadband network testing company Ookla’s most recent quarterly report on the Canadian market.
Released today, Ookla’s Q4 2021 Speedtest Global Index market analysis for Canada also shows Shaw Communications retained its top ranking as the country’s fastest fixed broadband provider.
Using its Speedtest Intelligence data for Q4 2021, Ookla gave Telus a speed score of 98.29 for its mobile network performance (see chart above), which is a notable increase from Q3 2021, Ookla says. Telus has been the fastest mobile operator in Canada for several quarters in a row, according to Ookla’s quarterly analysis.
Bell was the second-fastest mobile operator in Q4 2021 with a speed score of 92.78. The speed scores for the remaining top providers dropped off somewhat, with Rogers achieving a score of 72.65, followed by Fido with a score of 69.74, Videotron with 58.26, and Freedom Mobile with 43.83.
When it came to measuring the consistency of each mobile operator’s performance, Ookla found Videotron had the highest consistency score in Canada in Q4 2021, achieving a score of 91.2%. Videotron has ranked as the most consistent mobile operator in Canada for the last four quarters.
Fido was awarded the second-highest consistency score of 86.4%, followed by Rogers at 85.5%, Telus at 84.1%, Bell at 83.3%, and Freedom Mobile at 82.9%.
Looking at latency on the top mobile networks in Canada in Q4 2021, Freedom Mobile once again had the lowest median latency at 19 milliseconds (ms). Median latency for the remaining mobile providers were 23 ms for Fido, 24 ms for Rogers, 25 ms for Telus, 26 ms for Bell, and 28 ms for Videotron.
When looking at only 5G connections, Ookla says there was no statistical winner for 5G performance in Canada during Q4 2021. Bell and Telus achieved median 5G download speeds of 171.39 Mbps and 167.74 Mbps, respectively. The much lower median 5G download speeds for Rogers and Videotron were 109.42 Mbps and 86.22 Mbps, respectively.
Similarly, there was no statistical winner for best 5G availability in Canada in Q4 2021, according to Ookla. Rogers displayed 5G availability at 41.3% and Telus displayed 5G availability at 39.9%. Bell followed at 32.8%.
Fixed broadband performance
For the second consecutive quarter, Shaw was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Canada (see chart below) with a speed score of 197.22, which is a moderate increase from Q3 2021, Ookla says. Rogers followed with a speed score of 183.63. The speed scores awarded to Bell, Cogeco, Telus and Videotron were 153.67, 136.38, 128.97 and 113.60, respectively.
Rogers topped Shaw for the highest fixed broadband consistency score in Canada during Q4 2021, achieving a score of 89% compared to Shaw’s 87.7%. The remaining providers’ consistency scores were 86.8% for Cogeco, 85.5% for Videotron, 82.5% for Bell, and 81.9% for Telus.
Bell had the lowest median latency for top fixed broadband providers in Canada during Q4 2021 at 5 ms. Telus wasn’t far behind with a median latency of 6 ms. Shaw and Rogers both had a median latency of 12 ms, followed by Videotron at 13 ms, and Cogeco at 14 ms.
Regional and city speeds
Ookla’s Q4 2021 report also includes analysis of the fastest median download speeds over mobile and fixed broadband by region and city.
Newfoundland and Labrador showed the fastest median mobile download speed among Canadian provinces in Q4 2021 at 81.94 Mbps. Saskatchewan had the slowest median mobile download speed among provinces at 43.35 Mbps.
New Brunswick was the fastest province for fixed broadband during Q4 2021, achieving a median download speed of 132.65 Mbps.
St. John’s achieved the fastest mobile download speed among Canada’s most populous cities at 160.48 Mbps. St. John’s also achieved the fastest median download speed over fixed broadband at 166.11 Mbps.
To access Ookla’s Q4 2021 Speedtest Global Index market analysis for Canada, please click here.
Charts borrowed from Ookla’s report.
