Wireless communications generate a total economic value of some $39 billion for the Canadian economy.
Canada's wireless carriers invest more than $1 billion in mobile phone communications infrastructure each year.
The members of CWTA pay licence fees in excess of $150 million each year - more than two-thirds of the total fees collected by Industry Canada from all spectrum users.
Over 294,000 people are employed in Canada as a result of the wireless industry. The wireless sector offers high value employment – it has an average salary level of $59,000, compared to a Canadian average salary of $42,640.
The demand for highly skilled wireless communications specialists is so great that Canadian post-secondary institutions are creating programs specifically geared to the wireless industry.
The Canadian Market
Canada's wireless carriers now offer coverage to more than 99 per cent of Canadians.
Advanced wireless networks that support handsets such as smartphones and Internet sticks are available to 96% of Canadians.
At the end of June 2010, Canadian wireless phone subscribers numbered 23.4 million.
Half of all phone connections in Canada are now wireless.
75% of Canadian households have access to a wireless phone.
Canadians send 135 million text messages per day.
Each year, Canadians place more than 6 million calls to 9-1-1 or emergency numbers from their mobile phones.
Wireless revenues in Canada totalled $16.9 billion in 2009.
Wireless market sector revenues are the largest component (41%) of total telecommunications revenues.
Information:
Marc Choma, Director of Communications
Tel: (613) 233-4888 ext. 207
E-mail: mchoma@cwta.ca
