Top Seven ISPs in Canada by Subscriber:
Q4 2006

Broadband continues to grow in Canada, and digital phone and VoIP are becoming popular too.

by Alex Goldman ISP-Planet Managing Editor [April 23, 2007]

Rank	ISP	Subs. (thousands)	VoIP or Digital Phone Subs.	Date & Source
1	Bell Sympatico (DSL only)	2,462		[February 7, 2007] Press Release [.pdf]]
2	Rogers (cable broadband—349,600 PSTN not counted)	1,300	365,900	[March 28, 2007] Press Release
3	Shaw (cable broadband—includes pending installs)	1,139*	250,904*	[January 11, 2007] Quarterly Report [.pdf]
4	Telus [DSL and dialup]	1,111		[February 16, 2007] Press Release [.pdf]
5	Vidéotron Ltée (cable broadband and dialup)	805	400,000	[undated] Company Website
6	Cogeco (cable broadband)	372*	78,931 *	[January 11, 2007] Press Release [.pdf]
7	SaskTel ("internet")	193		[March 31, 2007] Annual Report [.pdf]
* as of November 30, 2006

We report VoIP or digital phone subscribers for the first time, finding Quebecois enterprise Vidéotron Ltée with a surprise lead. Of course, the ILECs all provide circuit switched telephony, which is why they are not eager to roll out digital telephony products.

If you have any concerns or would like to suggest any companies be added, send us a note by using the feedback button below.

We would have liked to add AT&T Canada and province-wide ILEC MTS (Manitoba) to the list, but were unable to obtain subscriber data.

SaskTel has been dropped from the list because it had not released an annual report at press time. When last on the list, it ranked seventh of seven.

Note that Shaw has a siginificant satellite TV business under the StarChoice brand name and that Telus has a significant cellular business. Bell Sympatico has several business lines.

It is not clear whether Vidéotron's phone service is digital, although it appears to be standard digital phone.

SaskTel's annual report notes that it provides rural service to 535 small communities and 49,000 farms. It changed the name of Navigata to its Expansion Division (i.e. for out of province services). It also has a large cellular network.

All numbers are as of December 31, 2006, except, where noted, as of November 30, 2006.