Connectivity in Rural and Remote Areas

March 27, 2023

The Auditor General of Canada today tabled a report in the House of Commons on improvments to the accessibility, affordability, and quality of high-speed Internet and mobile cellular connectivity for Canadians in rural and remote areas.

• Report 2—Connectivity in Rural and Remote Areas
  • Full Report: HTML | PDF
  • Infographic

Some key findings

• The federal government’s minimum high-speed Internet connectivity target for all Canadians: 50/10 Mbps (50 megabits per second for downloads and 10 megabits per second for uploads).
• High-speed Internet and mobile cellular connectivity is not available for Canadians in many rural, remote, and First Nations communities, affecting their ability to access online services and participate in the digital economy.
• Results as of 2021: 90.9% of households had access to minimum connection speeds across Canada but only 42.9% of households on First Nations reserves had access at those speeds and only 59.5% of households in rural and remote areas had access at those speeds.
• One key factor related to access—affordability—is not fully measured by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada or by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

The infographics provided by the Office of the Auditor General highlight the digital divide that still exists in Canada when it comes to access to high-speed Internet and mobile cellular connectivity. People living in some rural and remote areas and on First Nations reserves still do not have equal access—or any access at all—to these services.

Internet coverage

Availability of high-speed Internet as of year-end 2021

Mobile cellular network coverage

Availability of mobile LTE as of year-end 2021

(Via Auditor General of Canada)