Rogers Xfinity
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Internet service provider |
| Predecessor | Rogers@Home, Rogers Yahoo! Hi-Speed Internet, Road Runner (Newfoundland) |
| Founded | November 28, 1995 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada |
| Headquarters | Toronto , Canada |
Area served | Canada |
| Products | Cable Internet, Fibre Internet (FTTH), Internet security software (Rogers Online Protection) |
| Owner | Rogers Communications |
| Website | www |
Rogers Xfinity represents a Canadian broadband Internet provider operated by Rogers Communications. Previously marketed under names such as Rogers@Home, Rogers Yahoo! Hi-Speed Internet, and Road Runner in Newfoundland, it ranks as the second-largest ISP in Canada by subscriber base, following Bell Internet.
The company introduced high-speed internet services in November 1995, initially covering Newmarket, Ontario. By the year 2000, its coverage extended to regions within Ontario and British Columbia. Between 2015 and 2024, the service was known as Rogers Ignite, before transitioning to the Xfinity brand through a technology licensing arrangement with U.S. cable operator Comcast.
1990s: Initial development
On November 28, 1995, Rogers launched its high-speed internet offering under the WAVE brand, reaching about 16,000 residences in Newmarket, Ontario. This marked the first cable-based Internet service in North America. Subsequently, Rogers adopted the DOCSIS standard to improve network capabilities.
2000s: Expansion and collaboration with Yahoo!
By 2000, the service had been renamed Rogers@Home and expanded its availability across additional cities in Ontario and British Columbia.
In 2004, Rogers entered into a partnership with Yahoo! to introduce Rogers Yahoo! Hi-Speed Internet, which included unlimited email storage and access to Premium Yahoo! features such as Flickr PRO accounts. Existing customers' website hosting shifted to ad-free ca.geocities.com domains until GeoCities ceased operations in 2009. Although the collaboration with Yahoo! persisted, Rogers dropped Yahoo! from the service name in 2008.
By mid-2009, Rogers ended complimentary Flickr Pro accounts for subscribers, reverting them to free versions while preserving existing media content. Rogers Mail accounts continue to be supported by Yahoo!.
2010s: DOCSIS 3 adoption, FTTH rollout, and pricing adjustments
On January 16, 2012, Rogers implemented a $2 price increase on most cable Internet packages, attributing this to enhanced data caps and the introduction of SpeedBoost technology. Customers observed that SpeedBoost—initially provided at no additional cost—effectively contributed to the higher fees.
Soon after, users on DOCSIS 3.0 plans experienced increases in both speeds and data allowances: Express tier speeds rose from 12 to 18 Mbit/s; Extreme from 24 to 28 Mbit/s; and Ultimate from 50 to 75 Mbit/s. Data limits were raised by increments of 10 to 20 GB. In August of that year, Lite plan speeds doubled from 3 to 6 Mbit/s alongside an increase in usage limits from 15 GB to 20 GB.
On August 1, 2012, Rogers quietly introduced an Ultimate tier featuring download speeds up to 150 Mbit/s and upload speeds of 10 Mbit/s within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), with intentions to extend this offering throughout Ontario before year-end.
The same year saw Rogers launch fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) residential internet services in select neighborhoods of Toronto and Moncton.
In March 2015, Rogers debuted Rogers Ignite, a simplified package designed primarily for streaming media consumers with predominantly unlimited data allowances. By October, Ignite Gigabit Internet enabled support for 4K streaming via Rogers Cable NextBox 4K devices.
November 2015 marked the introduction of a Fido-branded home internet option in Ontario featuring a 30 Mbit/s plan with a 300 GB data cap and discounts available for Fido mobile subscribers.
2020s: Rogers Xfinity Internet
In April 2024, Rogers broadened its technological collaboration with Comcast and initiated a rebranding of its Ignite lineup under the name "Rogers Xfinity" later that same year.
Services
Rogers delivers cable Internet services based on the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) protocol, complemented by additional offerings such as Internet security software solutions.
Cable Internet
The company promotes its cable Internet service as "Hybrid Fibre," which involves separating Internet and television signal frequencies on customers' coaxial cables. Available speed options range from Lite (10 Mbit/s download, 1 Mbit/s upload) up to Ultimate (250 Mbit/s download, 20 Mbit/s upload). The Ultimate Fibre plan provides symmetrical bandwidth of 350 Mbit/s. Data usage limits have been raised to 1 TB per month for Ultimate and 2 TB per month for the Ultimate Fibre tier.
Subscribers without a Rogers TV package are unable to access most analog channels, except for channels 2 through 6, which remain accessible via over-the-air broadcast.
Users of Rogers Hi-Speed Internet receive notifications in their browsers when reaching 75% and 100% of their monthly data allocation, with overage charges applied per gigabyte—ranging from $0.50 on Ultimate plans to $4.00 on Lite plans. All plans other than Lite support DOCSIS version 3.0.
Fibre Internet (FTTH)
Rogers introduced a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband service named Rogers Ultimate Fibre Internet, featuring symmetrical speeds up to 350 Mbit/s. As of mid-2021, this offering is accessible in select areas of Toronto and the Atlantic provinces, including Moncton, with a monthly data cap set at 2 terabytes. The service is priced around $225.99 CAD monthly (as of 2013) and employs GPON technology. This launch marks Rogers' initial FTTH deployment, with intentions for further expansion.
Security
Replacing its former Norton Internet Security package, Rogers now provides Rogers Online Protection, which encompasses antivirus, antispyware, firewall features, as well as parental and privacy controls. This security suite is included at no extra charge with basic subscriptions, while enhanced functionalities—such as PC optimization tools, identity theft safeguards, wireless security measures, and backup options—are offered for an additional fee. The suite is compatible exclusively with Microsoft Windows operating systems.
Legacy services
Previously, Rogers offered Portable Internet services in certain rural locations through the Inukshuk Wireless network but discontinued these subscriptions effective March 1, 2012. Customers were encouraged to transition to Rogers Wireless Internet services, which generally impose lower bandwidth restrictions.
Criticism
Rogers has been subject to criticism regarding its traffic management strategies, including the use of deep packet inspection to detect and throttle BitTorrent traffic and redirecting unsuccessful DNS queries to its own search portal. The company also faced backlash for incorporating advertisements within paid webmail platforms.
Throttling
Rogers employed Cisco Systems hardware (models SCE-2020 and later SCE-8000) to limit BitTorrent traffic speeds despite promoting its services as suitable for large file transfers. In 2007, throttling was extended to cover all encrypted data transfers aimed at reducing BitTorrent usage, inadvertently affecting non-BitTorrent activities as well.
In January 2011, the CRTC issued a reprimand to Rogers for failing to adequately inform customers that its Internet Traffic Management Practices (ITMP) might slow down download rates. Nevertheless, throttling continued beyond peer-to-peer traffic types and impacted online gaming platforms such as World of Warcraft. Although Rogers asserted resolution of these problems by May 2011, users still reported experiencing throttling effects.
After regulatory investigations and enforcement actions by the CRTC throughout 2011 and 2012 revealed several net neutrality breaches by Rogers, the company declared in February 2012 that it would discontinue traffic throttling across its network by the end of that year. This announcement came shortly after Bell’s December 2011 decision to halt traffic shaping amid increasing regulatory scrutiny.
Content Injection
Beginning in December 2007, Rogers began embedding its proprietary content within third-party websites without obtaining consent. When users approach their internet data limit, a red alert appears above the website's material. This warning remains visible on all pages until the user either acknowledges it or chooses to disable the notification.