Canada’s annual snap-shot of wireless prices shows they’re lower but still high

OTTAWA – An annual snap-shot of telecom services taken last summer for the federal government shows a year-over-year decline in Canadian wireless prices but, as usual, most other G-7 countries had less expensive packages.

For example, Canadian plans with two gigabytes per month of data cost an average of $75.44 per month when the 2018 survey was conducted in June and July, down from $81.61 per month in 2017.

While the study also compares higher and lower levels of service, wireless plans with 2 GB of data are a good benchmark because they reflect the usage patterns of many Canadians.

By comparison, the Wall Communications report found the average currency-adjusted price in four mid-sized American cities was nearly 20 per cent lower, at $61.26 for plans with 2 GB of data.

Prices for 2 GB plans were even lower in Berlin ($45.80), Paris ($30.91), London ($26.56), and Rome ($21.11) and only Tokyo was more expensive at $81.52 — the only city studied that showed a year-over-year increase.

In Australia — the only non-G7 country covered by the annual study — the currency-adjusted price of $24.70 in Sydney was less than one-third the Canadian average price.