2 weeks Ago By Matthew Mountjoy
Most new Canadians are signing up for mobile and internet services as one of the first things they do, alongside opening a bank account and finding housing. The Strategic Counsel’s New Canadians Report 2025 study looks at the choices of permanent residents who arrived between the years 2019 and 2024. According to this study, as many as 73 per cent of new Canadians choose a wireless telecommunications provider within their first month.
The puts wireless services just behind banking and housing as top priorities. The majority of the new Canadians who participated in the survey documented that they had visited a physical cell store to sign up for cell services. Currently, Rogers and its subsidiaries Fido and Chatr make up the largest number of sign-ups, with 42 per cent choosing the telecom giant.
Bell and Telus are close behind. Rogers is also the leader in home Wi-Fi providers nationally, followed by Bell and Telus. However, this situation changes based on the region.
In western Canada, Telus leads with a 41 per cent share in new Canadian homes, whereas in Toronto, Bell and Rogers are close in market share. In Montreal, Bell has a slight lead over Quebec-based Videotron . According to the study, the main reasons for choosing wireless providers mainly come down to recommendations from family and friends, or social media.
Many of the new Canadians stated that videos like arrival-day vlogs, and real bill breakdowns on platforms like TikTok , Instagram , YouTube , etc. helped influence the decision for their telecommunication provider. Regarding cable TV, the survey notes that many new Canadians are skipping the traditional cable option and instead using streaming services such as Netflix , Amazon , etc.
, or in-language platforms to watch TV. Source: The Strategic Counsel.
