In the last five years, a billion new people have gained access to mobile data services. Today, it is impossible to function without a smartphone, and despite the increasing prevalence of smartphones and mobile networks, the costs of access and the price of mobile data vary significantly from country to country.
This infographic pulls data from Cable.co.uk and shows the average cost of one gigabyte (GB) of mobile data in 155 countries.
Despite the vast global reach of the mobile economy, it is clear that there is still a long way to go for true accessibility.
Several key elements help explain the variation in mobile data costs between countries:
- Existing infrastructure (or lack thereof): Most mobile networks rely on fixed connections. As a result, countries with existing infrastructure can offer mobile plans with more data at lower prices, while countries with minimal or no infrastructure rely on more expensive connectivity alternatives like satellites, which means higher costs for consumers.
- Reliance on mobile data: When mobile data is the primary source of internet in a region, high demand usually leads to an increase in competitive service providers, which in turn lowers costs.
- Low data consumption: Countries with poor infrastructure use less data. With mobile device plans offering lower data limits, the overall average cost per GB is usually higher.
- Average consumer income: Relatively wealthy countries tend to charge more for mobile services because the population can generally afford higher costs, and network management costs are higher. This is evident in countries like Canada or Germany.
Cheapest countries
The cheapest mobile data is in India, where the price is only $0.09 per gigabyte. Data is so cheap because a significant factor is the intense market competition in the country, led by Reliance Jio – a telecommunications company owned by Reliance Industries, one of the largest conglomerates in India. Reliance Jio launched in 2016, offering users free trial periods and plans for less than one dollar per month. This forced other service providers to lower their prices, reducing overall data costs in the region. Another country worth highlighting is Kyrgyzstan, which is the third cheapest at $0.21 per GB, ahead of Italy and Ukraine.
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This ranking is surprising given the minimal infrastructure of the country with fixed lines and a large rural population. Researchers suspect that the low prices are a result of Kyrgyzstan’s heavy reliance on mobile data as the primary source of internet for the population.
Most expensive countries for 1 GB of data
On the other end of the spectrum, here are the five most expensive countries for one gigabyte of mobile data:
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A striking trend to note is that four out of the five most expensive countries for mobile data are in Sub-Saharan Africa.
A significant factor behind the high data costs in SSA – Sub-Saharan Africa is the lack of infrastructure. With overloaded networks, the data packages offered in the region are generally smaller. This increases the average cost per GB compared to countries with unlimited packages.
Another element contributing to high costs is the lack of market competition.
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