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Residential Telephone Service Survey

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December 2008 (Previous release)

Nearly three-quarters (74.3%) of Canadian households indicated they had a cell phone in 2008, up from (72.4%) in 2007.

The proportion of households with cell phones was highest in Alberta (84.5%), Saskatchewan (78.0%), British Columbia (77.8%) and Ontario (76.8%). Quebec had the lowest rate of cell phone use at 65.5% of households.

In 2008, 8.0% of households reported having cell phones only, up from 6.4% in 2007.

Younger households were much more likely to use only a cell phone, with 34.4% of households comprised solely of adults aged between 18 and 34 relying exclusively on cell phones. Among all other households the rate was 4.5%.

In 2008, two-thirds (67.0%) of the households that used only cell phones were renters rather than homeowners.

The proportion of households without any phone service remained unchanged from 2007 at 0.9%.

Note: The Residential Telephone Service Survey, conducted since the fall of 1998, monitors residential phone penetration rates across all provinces in Canada.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 4426.

For more information on related products and services, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-461-9050; 613-951-3321; fax: 613-951-4527; ssd@statcan.gc.ca), Special Surveys Division.

Table 1

Proportion of households by type of phone service, December 2008 
  Households with at least one cell phone Cell phone only households
Total cell phone only Households comprised solely of 18 to 34 year olds Households of all other age compositions Percentage of cell phone only households who were renters
Canada 74.3 8.0 34.4 4.5 67.0
Newfoundland and Labrador 68.2 4.1 F 2.2 74.5
Prince Edward Island 73.5 6.1 F 4.5 62.8
Nova Scotia 72.3 6.6 25.9 4.6 69.5
New Brunswick 66.0 4.3 19.8 2.5 49.9
Quebec 65.5 6.7 24.6 4.2 78.2
Ontario 76.8 7.4 35.8 4.2 61.7
Manitoba 73.8 10.0 46.5 5.4 58.1
Saskatchewan 78.0 7.2 28.7 3.9 58.4
Alberta 84.5 11.5 41.0 6.2 62.6
British Columbia 77.8 10.3 46.7 5.4 71.7
too unreliable to be published