Rural internet speeds have improved, but compared to urban gap is wide

Saskatchewan faces biggest latency issues impacting video calls

Rural internet speeds have improved, but the gap with urban areas is still wide, says Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) - the national not-for-profit best known for managing the .CA domain.

Regional differences also continue—New Brunswick shows faster speeds, while as any farmer in the prairies can tell you, the Prairies and Northern territories struggle.

Back in 2015, Canada's median download speed was just over 11 Mbps. Today, it's reached 92 Mbps, with upload speeds growing from 2.4 Mbps to 27 Mbps. This improvement shows strong growth, especially after 2019, when both public and private investments increased in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on digital life.

When the World Wide Web first launched in 1993, most Canadians connected through dial-up internet at a sluggish 56 Kbps over phone lines. Fast forward to today, and 94.8% of Canadian households now enjoy speeds of at least 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload—over 1,000 times faster.

But another concern is latency, which affects real-time online activities like video calls and streaming. Nunavut, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Saskatchewan face the highest delays, stressing the need for more investment in those regions.

All of this information comes from CIRA which is celebrating 10 years of its Internet Performance Test (IPT), a tool that has helped Canadians measure and improve internet access nationwide.

Since its launch in 2015, over 1.7 million tests have been performed, giving local governments, advocates, and researchers valuable data to understand internet performance and close the digital divide.

To mark this milestone, CIRA has launched new IPT features. Users can now schedule automatic speed tests, view both upload and download speeds, and access improved dashboards with detailed insights. Satellite map views and new speed categories offer a clearer look at internet quality.

“Ten years of the IPT marks a major milestone in Canada’s connectivity journey,” says Charles Noir, Vice-president, Community Investment, Policy & Advocacy, CIRA.

“Thanks to community partnerships, we’ve built a powerful tool for change, but the digital divide persists. More than ever, we must keep investing, collaborating and pushing forward to ensure fast, reliable internet is a reality for everyone, no matter where they live.”

To run a test and learn more about CIRA’s Internet Performance Test, visit: https://www.cira.ca/en/net-good/internet-performance-test/