GSMA: Canada Mobile Sector Delivered $120 Billion in 2025 Value

Canada's mobile industry generated $120 billion (CAD165.7 billion) in economic value in 2025, equal to 5.4% of national GDP, and the GSMA says that figure will only grow if Ottawa reorients telecoms policy around investment rather than price suppression.

The industry body launched its Mobile Economy Canada 2026 report in Toronto on October 20, 2026. It forecasts mobile's economic contribution will reach $170 billion (CAD234.7 billion) by 2030, expanding more than three times faster than the wider economy. Productivity effects accounted for $70 billion (CAD96.67 billion) of the 2025 total.

Niall Magennis, Senior Policy Director at the GSMA, framed the stakes in direct terms: "Canada has strong foundations for digital growth, but those foundations need continued investment. Mobile networks connect people and businesses to the data centres, computing power and essential services that will drive the AI economy. If Canada wants to lead in AI, raise productivity and strengthen its economic resilience, telecoms policy must put investment and innovation at its heart."

What does the report change for Canadian policy?

The report's core argument is timing. Competition and affordability measures have cut consumer prices, but the market has matured. Operator revenues are plateauing while costs rise, and operators still must fund network capacity, AI-ready infrastructure, cybersecurity, resilience and future spectrum.

Without stronger investment incentives and regulatory certainty, the GSMA warns, network quality, innovation and Canada's international competitiveness will erode. Magennis added: "Affordability and competition remain important, but the next challenge is to make sure operators can invest in more advanced and resilient networks and the next wave of connectivity. That means creating an enabling policy environment in which long-term investment can flourish."

The GSMA's specific policy asks are:

• fair spectrum pricing and renewal terms;
• timely access to additional spectrum;
• incentives for AI infrastructure;
• continued support for rural and Indigenous connectivity.

Strong adoption, middling leadership

Canadian operators entered the 5G era in 2020 and have built wide coverage since. By mid-2026, 5G reached just over 94% of the population. At the end of 2025, 5G accounted for nearly 63% of mobile connections, roughly double the global average of 31%.

Adoption alone has not produced leadership. Canada ranked 21st of 46 markets in the GSMA Intelligence 5G Connectivity Index, scoring 60.2 against a median of 54.8. The gap between uptake and index position is the report's implicit case for deeper investment in network performance rather than broader coverage alone.

Jobs and the productivity engine

The mobile ecosystem supported almost 200,000 jobs across Canada in 2025, comprising roughly 150,000 direct and 50,000 indirect roles, about 1% of national employment. The average telecoms job paid CAD86,174, some 30% above the national average of CAD66,426. Among ICT professionals, 95% hold permanent contracts, 98% work full-time and 78% hold a university degree.

The report ties these employment outcomes to productivity applications across sectors. Private 5G networks and predictive maintenance support manufacturing; connectivity enables remote operations in mining and energy; connected fleets and real-time tracking improve transport and logistics; sensors, drones and precision farming raise agricultural output. Mobile networks also carry the traffic linking businesses and consumers to the compute infrastructure behind AI adoption.

Canada holds structural advantages for that AI economy, the GSMA notes: clean renewable energy, a colder climate that reduces data-centre cooling costs, leading research institutions and a skilled workforce. Converting those strengths into economic gains depends on sustained investment in the connectivity that links data centres, AI services and the wider economy.

The road to 2030

The report positions 2030 as the test date. Mobile's contribution is projected to grow from $120 billion to $170 billion over four years, but that trajectory assumes operators can fund AI-ready infrastructure, cybersecurity and next-generation spectrum. The GSMA's message to Ottawa is that an affordability-first framework served its purpose; the next phase requires an investment-led one, or the projected growth and Canada's competitive standing will be at risk.