Xplore Cuts Complaints for 5th Year Amidst Industry-Wide Surge

MARKHAM, ON – January 19, 2026 – In a year that saw customer frustration with Canadian telecommunication providers hit a new peak, rural broadband specialist Xplore has emerged as a significant outlier, achieving a fifth consecutive year of reduced customer complaints. The company's 13% year-over-year decrease in complaints comes in stark contrast to the broader industry, which saw complaints skyrocket by 17%.

The data, released in the latest annual report from the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS), paints a troubling picture for the nation's largest providers while highlighting a divergent path for a handful of companies focused on customer experience.

"These results reflect the dedication of our team and the investments we've made to improve the customer experience," said Brent Johnston, CEO of Xplore, in a statement. "Our goal is simple: to provide fast, reliable Internet and exceptional service to rural Canadians."

A Deep Dive into the Numbers

The CCTS 2025 Annual Report, which covers the period from August 2024 to July 2025, confirmed that it accepted a record 23,647 complaints, marking the third consecutive year of record-breaking volumes. This industry-wide surge underscores a growing dissatisfaction among Canadian consumers.

Billing issues remained the top grievance, accounting for 46% of all issues raised and reaching their highest level in five years. More alarmingly, complaints related to breaches of contract surged by a staggering 121%, suggesting a significant erosion of trust between customers and their providers.

Against this backdrop, Xplore’s performance is particularly noteworthy. It was one of only three service providers in Canada to record a year-over-year improvement. The company's sustained success stands in sharp opposition to the trends seen with the industry's giants. Rogers, which now includes Shaw's data, accounted for the largest share of complaints at 27%. It was followed by TELUS at 21% and Bell at 17%.

TELUS, in particular, saw its complaint volume increase by a massive 78% from the previous year, marking its fifth consecutive year of rising CCTS complaints. This makes Xplore's five-year trend of reducing complaints a mirror image of the struggles faced by one of the country's largest carriers. The Videotron Group was also recognized for its strong performance, with the main Videotron brand logging its fourth straight year of decline with a 6.6% drop in complaints.

Bridging the Divide Beyond City Limits

Xplore’s success is amplified by its operational focus: serving rural Canada. Providing reliable, high-speed internet to less populated and geographically challenging areas comes with a unique set of hurdles, from higher infrastructure costs to logistical complexities that can often lead to service-related complaints. Historically, rural customers have been among the most underserved and vocal about connectivity issues.

The company's ability to not only navigate these challenges but also consistently improve customer satisfaction suggests a deep understanding of its market. By positioning itself as Canada's "fibre and 5G broadband company for rural living," Xplore has tied its brand identity to tackling the digital divide head-on. This achievement indicates that its strategies are effectively addressing the specific pain points of rural consumers, a demographic that is increasingly reliant on stable internet for work, education, and daily life.

This five-year trend of improvement suggests that the company's investments are yielding tangible results for communities that have traditionally been last in line for technological upgrades.

A Blueprint for Better Service

While the CCTS report details the problems, Xplore’s trajectory may offer a blueprint for solutions. The company attributes its success to two core pillars: its people and its network. The emphasis on a 100% Canadian-based customer service team is a key differentiator in an industry where support is often outsourced. This approach can lead to better-trained agents who have a more nuanced understanding of regional issues and customer needs, potentially resolving problems before they escalate to formal complaints.

Furthermore, the company's stated commitment to expanding its "world-class fibre and 5G wireless networks" is directly linked to service quality. Many telecom complaints stem from underperformance—slow speeds, unreliable connections, and service outages. By proactively investing in next-generation infrastructure, Xplore is tackling the root cause of these issues. Upgrading from older, less reliable technologies to fibre and modern 5G wireless inherently improves the customer experience and reduces the likelihood of service-related complaints.

While the industry as a whole struggles with billing and contract disputes, Xplore's ability to lower its overall complaint volume suggests it is also managing these administrative aspects of its customer relationships more effectively than its peers.

As the Canadian telecom industry grapples with record-high dissatisfaction and a growing crisis of consumer trust, the consistent, multi-year improvement from providers like Xplore demonstrates that a different outcome is not only possible, but is actively being achieved. This performance sets a new benchmark for service excellence, proving that customer satisfaction can be improved even in the most challenging markets.