Wireless revenue growth slowed last year: CRTC

Revenue from wireless services in Canada was up just less than four per cent in 2013, marking a slowdown from growth that had exceeded six per cent for three straight years, according to data released by the CRTC on Thursday. The commission's Communications Monitoring Report for telecommunications (the broadcasting portion was released earlier this month) showed that there was $21.2 billion in wireless revenue in Canada last year, marking growth of 3.8 per cent from 2012. Revenue growth in this sector was 6.5, 6.2 and 6.6 per cent in the years 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, the report showed. Wholesale wireless revenue amounted to $1 billion last year, according the report, up 13.5 per cent from the year before. In 2012, wholesale wireless revenue grew 17.6 per cent and 50.6 per cent the year before that. Retail wireless revenue was up 3.4 per cent for the year at $20.2 billion. That compared to growth of 6.1 per cent growth in 2012 and five per cent growth in 2011. Wireline revenue was up 0.2 per cent to $23.7 billion in 2013, the report said. That reversed a 0.3 per cent decline in wireline revenue in 2012 along with no growth or other small declines during the three preceding years. The data showed retail revenue from local and long-distance phone services continued to decline last year, Internet retail revenue was up 7.3 per cent, the highest rate of growth in at least five years. Overall, the there was $44.8 billion in telecommunications revenue in 2013, up two per cent from 2012. The CRTC said the give biggest telecom service providers — BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp., Shaw Communications Inc. and Manitoba Telecommunications Services Inc. — accounted for 86 per cent of telecom revenue last year, up from 85 per cent in 2012. It also said that the three biggest wireless carriers — Bell, Rogers and Telus — had 90 per cent of wireless subscribers and 92 per cent of wireless revenue last year, same as the previous year. The CRTC report also showed that, as of last year, 83 per cent of Canadians were cellphone users, up from 80 per cent in 2012. Smartphone penetration hit 62 per cent in 2013, up from 51 per cent in the previous year, while tablet usage grew to 39 per cent from 26 per cent. — With reporting by Derek Abma at dabma@thewirereport.ca and editing by Peter Henderson at phenderson@thewirereport.ca

Wireless revenue growth slowed last year: CRTC

News | September 25, 2014

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Wireless revenue growth slowed last year: CRTC

News | September 25, 2014

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