Canadians buying more tablets and smartphones, spending more on data services: CRTC

TORONTO – The CRTC says Canadians are spending a lot more for mobile and Internet service as they feed ever-increasing appetites for online entertainment.

Canada’s telecom regulator says in the latest segment of its annual report that the average Canadian household spent $203 a month on phone, Internet and TV services in 2014, up $11.92 or 6.2 per cent from 2013.

Spending on mobile-phone services, including data, grew by 14.1 per cent in the year and spending on Internet services rose by 10 per cent. The average household’s TV spending grew by just 0.7 per cent, while spending on landline phones fell by 5.3 per cent.

The CRTC said more Canadians are going mobile, with smartphone ownership increasing to 67 per cent of the population from 62 per cent in 2013. Nearly half of Canadians now own tablets, at 49 per cent, up from 39 per cent.

Most of those who have mobile data use it a lot. The CRTC said 70 per cent of wireless plans that included data featured at least one gigabyte of usage per month.

One fifth of Canadian households are now cellphone-only, the regulator said, while 14 per cent of households have only landline phones.