Ebox Cable Internet & the Videotron Network in Quebec — Explained

Does Ebox use Videotron's cable network in Quebec?

Yes. Ebox is a reseller — also called a "third-party internet service provider" or TPIA — that operates on Videotron's own cable infrastructure in Quebec. The physical cables running to your home, the signal pathways, the data centres, the regional backbone — it's all the same network Videotron operates for its own customers.

This arrangement is governed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which requires major facilities-based carriers like Videotron to lease wholesale access to smaller competitors. The goal is to create competition in markets where building parallel cable networks would be impractical.

When you sign up for Ebox in Quebec, your internet signal travels through the same cable that would carry Videotron's signal to a Videotron customer next door. The difference is the billing relationship — you pay Ebox a lower retail price, and Ebox pays Videotron a wholesale rate for network access.

Why is Ebox cheaper if it uses the same network?

The biggest cost in telecommunications is infrastructure — the physical cables, conduits, data centres, and last-mile connections to homes. Videotron has spent decades and billions of dollars building this network. They have to recover those costs through retail prices.

Ebox doesn't have to build or maintain that physical infrastructure. They pay Videotron a wholesale rate (set by CRTC tariff) for network access, which is significantly lower than retail. Ebox then passes those savings to customers while keeping a smaller margin. They also operate leaner — no retail stores, online-only customer service, no expensive bundle marketing.

The math: a customer paying Videotron $85/month is funding network maintenance, retail operations, marketing, and profit. The same network capacity costs Ebox roughly $30 wholesale. Ebox marks it up to $55, gives you $25 off with code OR181 on your first month, and still makes a margin.

Is Ebox cable internet as fast as Videotron?

For comparable plan tiers, the speeds are identical. A 500 Mbps plan from Ebox delivers the same 500 Mbps real-world performance as a 500 Mbps plan from Videotron, because both are using the same network.

Where Videotron has a marginal advantage is at the very top tier. Videotron offers a 1.5 Gbps cable plan, while Ebox's fastest plan currently caps at 1 Gbps. For households with multiple simultaneous 4K streams plus competitive gaming plus large file transfers, this could matter. For ~95% of households, the difference between 1 Gbps and 1.5 Gbps is invisible in daily use.

Reliability is also identical because outages affect the underlying network. If Videotron has a regional outage, Ebox customers in that region are affected too — and vice versa. In my six months on Ebox, I've experienced two brief outages. My three years on Bell (different network) had a similar outage rate.

Which Quebec cities does Ebox cable internet serve?

Ebox serves any Quebec address where Videotron's cable network reaches — which is most populated areas of the province:

• Montreal and surrounding metro area
• Quebec City and surrounding region
• Laval, Longueuil, Brossard and South Shore
• Gatineau, Hull, Aylmer (Outaouais)
• Sherbrooke, Drummondville and Eastern Townships
• Trois-Rivieres, Saguenay and other regional centres

Before signing up, visit ebox.ca and enter your address. The system confirms whether cable internet is available at your specific location.

For a full feature comparison, see our Ebox vs Videotron breakdown.

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