StatCan looks to improve the way it tracks wireless plan pricing with new data

A person uses a cellphone in Ottawa on July 18, 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press)

OTTAWA -

Statistics Canada has changed the way it tracks the price of wireless plans in an effort to capture a more accurate picture of what Canadians are paying when it calculates the inflation rate.

The agency has been using web-collected data on the advertised cost of plans based on a set of profiles designed to reflect how households use their devices.

However, Statistics Canada has now started using actual sales data from participating wireless companies to help build a picture of the changing cost of wireless plans.

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The price for cellular services in August was down 12.8 per cent compared with a year earlier, based on the agency's report Tuesday.

However, Statistics Canada has said caution should be used when interpreting the year-over-year move for the first 12 months following the change.

The cellular services price index is part of the household operations, furnishings and equipment index. It represents 1.22 per cent of the CPI basket based on 2023 expenditures.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.