A few weeks ago, a Compare the Market survey showed the United Kingdom sitting disappointingly midtable on both broadband speed and price. Now another survey, this time from Cable.co.uk shows that we’re similarly positioned when it comes to the price of mobile data.
The company analysed 6,313 mobile data plans across 230 countries to figure out the average price for 1gb data. This is a necessary first step, because relatively speaking, 1gb of data is cheaper if you’re on a 30gb plan than it is on a 2gb one, say.
In all, Britain is 136th out of the 230 countries assessed, and very much in the bottom half compared to our European neighbours, with an average price of $6.66 (~£5) for 1gb of data. That puts us some way behind Finland ($1.16), Monaco ($1.21) and Poland ($1.32).
Still, it could be worse. Across the Atlantic, US customers pay an average of $12.37 for a gigabyte, leaving Americans 182nd in the table overall. It’s not much better across the border in Canada, either, where the average price of a gigabyte drops by just 35 cents.
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However, things increase sharply and painfully the further down the list you go. As well as being at the end of the chart alphabetically, Zimbabwe is here organically with an average cost of $75.20 (~£57.28). In fact, sub-saharan Africa fares pretty poorly overall with four of the list’s six most expensive nations represented: Equatorial Guinea ($65.83), Saint Helena ($55.47) and Djibouti ($37.92.) Interestingly, North Africa fairs far better with every one in the top half of the table, led by Egypt at $1.49.
But it’s Asia where things get really competitive, with ten of the top 20 featured including the cheapest in the world: India. In fact at just 26 cents (~20p), a gigabyte of data costs 289 times as much in Zimbabwe as it does in India. Sri Lanka ($0.78), Mongolia ($0.82) and Myanmar ($0.87) weren’t too far behind, either
Surprised by the list? Let us know on Twitter: @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
