Yukon's internet speeds slowest in Canada? Northwestel says not so fast

Northwestel says internet speeds in the Yukon are not fairly represented in a recent national survey.

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), which owns any domain name ending with .ca, has released survey results that found Yukon has some of the slowest internet speeds in Canada.

Compared to the other provinces and territories, "the Yukon territory has the lowest average download speed," the study found.

• CIRA internet performance tests show Western Canada lags

The 126,000 tests were conducted by ordinary internet users between May and December 2015 using a tool posted online by the CIRA. They measured dozens of different indicators of internet performance, including upload and download speeds.

Byron Holland, the president of the CIRA, said more than 500 tests were done in the Yukon.

"This is a great way to do a neutral, independent ISP [internet service provider] agnostic test and get a real sense of not just the speed of your internet, which is of course important, but also the quality and security — because we measure much more than just speed," Holland said.

In an email to CBC, a Northwestel spokesperson said it is taking part in a cable internet test with the CRTC that will show "real data as to the speeds our network is delivering."

Canada's telecommunications regulator commissioned a study of internet speeds across the country last year, which were measured with devices called whiteboxes voluntarily installed in people's homes.

Preliminary results of the broadband test show Canada's western and northern regions fall slightly below advertised speeds during peak hours, but the CRTC says people are getting what they pay for.

Though the preliminary report doesn't offer details about the performance of individual internet providers, the CRTC said that will be included in a more detailed report later this year.

Northwestel says internet speed results from the CRTC will be out this summer.