Fixed broadband networks: who builds and operates them

Canada’s fixed broadband market is powered by a mix of national infrastructure owners and independent service providers.

Main infrastructure operators:

• Bell, Rogers, and TELUS — the three largest players, each running their own fibre and copper networks.
• Regional operators such as Vidéotron (Québecor), SaskTel, Eastlink, and Cogeco — dominant in their respective provinces or cities.

Reseller ISPs:

Dozens of smaller internet providers offer service using these networks under wholesale access rules set by the CRTC.

In 2024–2025, the regulator expanded wholesale FTTP access, allowing competitors to sell fibre broadband over incumbent networks.

This move aims to increase competition, improve consumer choice, and keep prices in check while encouraging continued investment in fibre deployment.

Reliability & resilience:

After the nationwide Rogers outage in 2022, the CRTC launched a broad review of telecom reliability.

The regulator now requires:

• Mandatory outage reporting by all major operators
• Development of resiliency standards (covering network design and redundancy)
• An industry-wide reliability agreement that enables emergency roaming and mutual assistance between carriers during major incidents.

Together, these measures make the country’s internet backbone more resilient, transparent, and coordinated during crises.

Mobile networks: coverage, competition & new entrants

The mobile market is dominated by Bell, Rogers, and TELUS, which share national 4G/5G infrastructure through tower-sharing and joint builds.

Regional operators add local competition:

• SaskTel in Saskatchewan
• Vidéotron / Freedom Mobile in Quebec and Western provinces
• Eastlink Mobile in Atlantic Canada

To promote competition, the CRTC introduced a targeted MVNO framework requiring the big carriers (and SaskTel) to lease network access to smaller regional providers actively investing in their own infrastructure.

This allows new entrants to operate where they don’t yet have full coverage — helping to reduce prices and expand choice for Canadians.

What to do during an outage: step-by-step

Home internet (fibre, cable or DSL)

1. Check your provider’s status page or social media feed.
2. Restart equipment: unplug your modem/ONT and router for 30 seconds, then reboot.
3. Test a wired device: connect a laptop via Ethernet to rule out Wi-Fi issues.
4. Try a backup connection: use mobile hotspot or 4G/5G failover if available.
5. Ask neighbours: if others are also offline, wait for updates instead of constant reboots.
6. Report the outage: open a support ticket or chat with your provider.
7. After restoration: run a speed test and check stability; if degraded, contact support with screenshots.

Mobile (4G/5G)

1. Toggle airplane mode for 30 seconds, then re-enable it.
2. Re-register on the network: manually select your carrier, then return to automatic.
3. Enable Wi-Fi calling if broadband works.
4. Use emergency roaming during major outages (keep VoLTE active).
5. Keep a backup SIM/eSIM from another provider for redundancy.
6. Report and monitor through the carrier’s app; note your location and time of failure.

💡 Tip: For remote work, home security, or payment systems, consider a dual-WAN router or 5G backup plan to maintain internet access during outages.

According to the regulator (CRTC)

• The CRTC is opening up fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) access to competitors nationwide to foster lower prices and more consumer choice.
• Following the Rogers 2022 outage, the CRTC now requires major providers to report outages, strengthen network resilience, and coordinate emergency response across all carriers.