Broadband Fund
Maps of Areas to Enhance Broadband Access

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Eligibility maps

The CRTC has created maps that indicate the areas without speeds of 50 Mbps download/10 Mbps upload for fixed broadband services; communities without high-capacity transport infrastructure; where homes or major roads are without LTE mobile wireless service; and satellite-dependent communities.

Areas that have access or partial access to speeds of 50/10 Mbps or LTE are not shown on the maps as they are not eligible for CRTC funding at this time.

For each call for applications for funding, a corresponding set of maps will be published consistent with the scope of the call. The data in the maps is as current as possible.

These maps are to be used for reference purposes only, as upgrades to broadband services or network facilities continue to occur.

Applicants should verify whether new broadband services or network facilities have been deployed since the CRTC’s data was collected, making a geographic area no longer eligible, or whether new projects are underway in the target areas or will be underway within the proposed project’s time frame.

Applicants should therefore conduct their own due diligence, through research of available broadband services or network facilities, and consultation with the relevant service providers and communities, to ensure that the geographic areas they are proposing to serve are eligible under the Broadband Fund. For example, applicants should consult Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s (ISED) National Broadband Internet Service Availability Map and the list of projects that have been announced to date under ISED’s Connect to Innovate program. In addition, an aggregated availability of broadband services dataset based on a pseudo-household statistical model is available on the Open data portal.

Third-party information liability disclaimer

The information on this web page is based on data provided by external sources. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is not responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information supplied by external sources. For more information regarding broadband availability in a particular area in the maps, you may consult with the Canadian telecommunication service providers which are the sources of this information.

Second Call for Applications: Eligible Areas

Maps of eligible areas across Canada including satellite-dependent communitiesFootnote 1, displayed in two maps below:

1. Satellite dependent communities, fixed Internet access geographic areas and transport communities

How to Use CartoVista

For applicants: please read the CartoVista instructions to help you fill out your application.

Map Legend:
  • Satellite-dependent communities
  • Communities without high-capacity transport
  • Inhabited areas without fixed broadband access (50/10 Mbps)
  • Population Centres
  • Help on how to use CartoVista Viewer

2. Mobile wireless

How to Use CartoVista

For applicants: please read the CartoVista instructions to help you fill out your application.

Map Legend:
  • Inhabited areas without LTE
  • Major roads without LTE

Contact the Broadband Fund group

Important notes about the 2018 coverage map

  • The broadband access and transport coverage information has been collected by the CRTC through consultation with wireless and Internet service providers.
  • These maps are representative of fixed broadband, LTE mobile wireless, transport coverage, and satellite-dependent communities as of December 2018.
  • Areas represented by hexagons are inhabited areas, in which no household has access to 50/10 Mbps fixed broadband or mobile wireless LTE service. A major road is a road classified by Statistics Canada as having a street rank code of 1 (Trans-Canada highway), 2 (National highway system), or 3 (Major highways).Footnote 2
  • Communities without high-capacity transport are defined as small population centres with a population of fewer than 30,000 residents, located at least 2 km away from a transport point of presence with a minimum capacity of 1 Gbps.
  • Satellite-dependent communities are defined as communities that have no terrestrially-based telecommunications facilities for connection to the public switched telephone network and/or the Internet, and that rely on satellite transport to receive one or more telecommunications services (such as voice, wireless [both fixed and mobile], and Internet services).
  • Broadband coverage within a community will depend on its size, broadband network design, local topography and other factors. In some instances, Internet service providers will not be able to provide service to 100 percent of households within a community or hexagon designated as being able to receive 50/10 Mbps speeds or LTE coverage. The CRTC receives data from service providers and cannot guarantee that this information is accurate.
  • Population and dwellings counts are rounded up to the nearest whole unit.
  • Listed Internet service providers exclude direct-to-home satellite and dial-up Internet services providers.
  • Broadband speeds are based on advertised speeds as provided by Internet service providers.
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