3 important notes about broadband in Canada

It’s become obvious that broadband is an essential utility. Just like good quality roads, clean water, and electricity, broadband has become necessary in our everyday lives. If a town or city wants to develop and stay relevant on a national and international scale, then investment in broadband infrastructure is crucial.

1) Canada is falling behind

When it comes to fibre optic penetration, Japan and South Korea are leading the way with 72.6% and 69.4% share, respectively. Canada is way down the list with only 5.3% of the world’s fibre connections and subscriptions.

When it comes to bandwidth speeds, Switzerland, Denmark and France are leading the world while Canada falls into the middle of the pack behind Germany. If Canadian businesses are to thrive and operate as efficiently as possible, the federal government must step in to improve the country’s fibre connectivity.

2) There will be a surge in smart devices  

By 2020, there will be 50 billion smart devices in use around the world. Everything from our homes to cars, appliances, road infrastructure, and public transportation will rely on broadband infrastructure in some way.

We’re approaching a world of connectivity - the Internet of Things - where every person, place, and thing can communicate via broadband. If you’re not connected, you won’t thrive.

3) It only takes 1%

If the federal government dedicated just 1% of its $120 billion federal infrastructure budget to the development of broadband, and provinces and municipalities invested the funds properly, every Canadian could be connected to fibre in a decade.

10 years from now, the leading businesses and countries will operate seamlessly on reliable Internet. Those who are left without connectivity will essentially be stranded.

You can read more about why broadband is an essential utility at bdo.ca.