Telecommunications in Canada

Present-day telecommunications in Canada include telephone, radio, television, and internet usage.

[1] In 1882, Canadian Pacific transmitted its first commercial telegram over telegraph lines they had erected alongside its tracks,[3] breaking Western Union's monopoly.

[5] Telephones - fixed lines: total subscriptions: 13.926 million (2020) Telephones - mobile cellular: 36,093,021 (2020) Telephone system: (2019) ITU prefixes: Letter combinations available for use in Canada as the first two letters of a television or radio station's call sign are CF, CG, CH, CI, CJ, CK, CY, CZ, VA, VB, VC, VD, VE, VF, VG, VO, VX, VY, XJ, XK, XL, XM, XN and XO.

Only CF, CH, CI, CJ and CK are currently in common use,[6] although four radio stations in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador retained call letters beginning with VO when Newfoundland joined Canadian Confederation in 1949.

Stations owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation use CB through a special agreement with the government of Chile.

Some codes beginning with VE and VF are also in use to identify radio repeater transmitters.

CRTC further works with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (formerly Industry Canada) on various technical aspects including: allocating frequencies and call signs, managing the broadcast spectrum, and regulating other technical issues such as interference with electronics equipment.