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“Canadians are embracing changing technology. They are increasingly using their mobile devices and home internet connections to watch content, access health care services, further their education or run their businesses,” CRTC chair Ian Scott said in a statement.

Last year, the CRTC set an ambitious target to provide minimum speeds of 50 Mbps to all Canadians by 2020, including those that live in rural and remote communities. These speeds were available to 84 per cent of Canadians at the end of 2016. The CRTC created a fund to improve broadband access in rural and remote place, but it has yet to decide how to spend it or where.

Of course, the increased usage came at a price. The average household spent $218.42 per month on communications services in 2016, up 1.7 per cent from $214.75 in 2015. Wireless accounted for 40 per cent of the budget, TV 25 per cent, internet 21 per cent and telephone 14 per cent.

This made for a great year for Canada’s telecommunications providers, which enjoyed quarter after quarter of wireless growth and higher revenue per user. Providers invested $11.6 billion in networks last year, up 11.3 per cent from $1.2 billion in 2015.

Telecommunications revenue hit $48.7 billion in 2016, up from $47.8 billion the year prior. Wireless accounted for $23.2 billion.

The internet segment grew the fastest after overtaking TV providers’ revenue for the first time in 2015. Its revenue jumped by $930 million or 10.1 per cent in 2016 for a total of $10.2 billion.

Landline usage continued to decline as more households cut the cord to subscribe exclusively to wireless. The number of landlines fell to 15.2 million in 2016, down from 17.7 million five years prior.

ejackson@nationalpost.com