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Internet Providers

How this atlas works

Methodology

ISED National Broadband Data provenance, match tiers, and the gap between advertised availability and lived throughput.

Canada Internet publishes municipal broadband availability readings from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's National Broadband Data (NBD) map. Named datasets: data sources. National ISP comparison: compare.

Coverage

The atlas tracks 340 municipalities (340 direct match, 0 regional). Providers report offered services to ISED roughly twice a year. NBD aggregates those submissions onto hexagonal grids and community points under the Open Government Licence.

What NBD measures

What providers say they can sell at a location: maximum advertised download and upload, technology, and expansion projects. Not a household speed-test sample, not latency, not plan take-up. Expansion layers stay marked as planned until service is flagged available.

Policy context

CRTC Telecom Regulatory Policy 2016-496 set the universal service objective for fixed broadband at least 50 Mbps download / 10 Mbps upload with an unlimited data option. The Universal Broadband Fund (ISED) and the CRTC Broadband Fund support builds where private investment alone has been slow. Treat 50/10 as the long-standing baseline; gigabit tiers are a separate story.

Technology and lived experience

  • Fibre-to-the-premises. Advertised tiers usually close to delivered throughput aside from in-home Wi-Fi.
  • Cable (DOCSIS). Shared neighbourhood segments; evening congestion can pull below advertised peaks.
  • DSL. Declines with copper loop length and condition.
  • Fixed wireless. Distance, line of sight, and sector load drive large gaps from advertised maxima.
  • Satellite (including LEO). Competitive advertised speeds possible; latency and fair-use policies differ from fibre.

Matching municipalities

Pipelines assign ISED hexes to each municipality with population-weighted gravity (larger cities retain more urban hexes at the same distance), then roll up dwelling-weighted 50/10 household coverage and dwelling-weighted maximum advertised Mbps from ISP technology tiers. Direct versus regional labels reflect match confidence. Hex summaries are not civic-address guarantees; valleys, tree lines, and last-drop gaps create local exceptions.

Using a city page

Read the advertised download tier, provider count, and technology mix as a shortlist of what ISPs report they can sell here. Prefer fibre when you need consistent evening throughput; treat cable, DSL, fixed wireless, and satellite as different lived experiences under load. Confirm eligibility, price, and install dates at your civic address before you switch.

Limitations

Coverage is an availability ceiling, not lived evening speed. Speed tests mix plan tier, Wi-Fi, device limits, and momentary congestion. Confirm civic-address plans with providers before consumer advice. Primer: Canadian Broadband Speeds.