Mobile data is an important part of everyday life, because we often solve most issues throughout the day using our smartphones. We rarely think about the cost of mobile traffic, since this service tends to be available most of the time, and almost everyone can afford several hours of surfing the net. However, this is a normal situation only in some countries, while there are still places where mobile data is quite expensive.
Countries with the cheapest mobile data per 1 GB
According to 2019 statistics, India has the cheapest Internet: 1 GB costs about 9 cents there. Quite unexpected news, since few people perceive India as a high-tech region. However, the numbers are what they are. Truly, people in India can afford inexpensive and stable access to the network.
The reason for this is quite understandable — such prices are caused by the aggressive policy of a local provider. The largest telecom company in India, which owns most of the national market, decided to squeeze out competitors and adopted a dumping policy, driving prices way down. For example, subscribers were offered favorable packages with a free trial period and a minimal cost after the expiration of the trial period. Some packages were sold for 1 euro per month, so the number of subscribers began to grow swiftly. Other market players also had to reduce the cost of all services and, as a result, the average cost dropped to a record low nationwide.
The second country in this list is Israel, with 11 cents per GB, followed by Kyrgyzstan, where subscribers pay 21 cents for such amount of data. By the way, the appearance of a small, post-Soviet state in this list is surprising, since technical progress in this region is only developing. Experts suggest that the low cost of mobile data should motivate subscribers to use telecom providers’ services and lead to the introduction of high technologies, contributing to technological progress.
Countries with the most expensive mobile data per 1 GB
The list of countries with the most expensive Internet starts with the small nation of Malawi in Africa, where you have to pay almost $28 for 1 GB of data. Similar prices can be found in Benin. The cost is slightly lower in Chad, where a mobile data package of 1 GB costs $23. These countries are located in Africa and lag far behind the rest of the world in terms of technological development. This explains the high cost of mobile data, because providing a modern infrastructure requires a lot of investment and time.
As for Europe and America, the situation is quite interesting. For example, in the United States, you will pay $8 for 1 GB on average, but in neighboring Canada the cost rises to almost $13. In Europe, the data package will cost between 5 and 10 dollars, depending on the country. For example, in Norway you will have to pay $5 and $8 in Switzerland.
Technological gap
The cost of mobile data depends on several factors, and costs do not always reflect the pricing policy. There is such a factor as the technological gap, which affects not only the cost, but also the quality of the connection. For example, in South Korea the 5G network is actively used, which is currently considered the fastest way of communication. In contrast, telecom towers in Russia that support this format can only be found in the capital, and nobody knows when the network will be deployed in other regions. At the same time, this communication format does not greatly affect the cost, but what changes is the user's interaction with the Internet. The 5G network is the fastest communication protocol available today, so you will consume mobile data faster and may end up paying a lot more.