Canada's broadcast and telecom regulator has released new numbers on how much Canadians spend on communications services, revealing the total bill for the average household climbed to $191 per month last year.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission published the final version of its yearly communications monitoring report Thursday, adding detail on consumer spending to previously released figures on industry revenues.
Monthly household communications expenditures
SOURCE: CRTC
Increased spending on wireless data – to stream videos or upload pictures on mobile phones – and higher-speed home Internet services contributed to a bump in the average household's monthly bill, the CRTC said.
The increase, to $191 per month last year, up 3.2 per cent from $185 in 2012, outstripped overall inflation, which was 0.9 per cent.
The CRTC said the average household spent $69.33 per month on wireless services in 2013, up $1.91 from the previous year.
Monthly spending on Internet increased by $4.42 to $35.37, while the average cable or satellite television bill went up $1.54 to $53.56.
Money spent on landline telephones dropped to an average of $32.85 per month last year, down $2.01 from 2012.
Total revenues for the Canadian communication industry – including both the telecom and broadcasting sectors – climbed 1.9 per cent to $61.9-billion last year.
Household communications expenditures as a percentage of annual income
| Lowest quintile (household income less than $27,875) | Second quintile (household income from $27,875 - $48,426) | Third quintile (household, income from $48,426 to $74,032) | Fourth quintile (household income from $74,032 - $111,639) | Highest quintile (household income over $111,639) | Total average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg annual income | $17,312 | $37,937 | $60,559 | $90,855 | $179,659 | $77,269 |
| Members per household | 1.47 | 2.1 | 2.57 | 2.9 | 3.34 | 2.48 |
| Percentage recently changed address | 25.60% | 20.40% | 19.30% | 14.50% | 9.70% | 17.90% |
| Expenditures as % of annual income | 8.40% | 4.70% | 3.60% | 2.80% | 1.70% | 2.80% |