India Has The Most Affordable Mobile Data In The World, According To A Study

A study conducted by a UK based broadband comparison website reveals that India has the most affordable mobile data rates in the world. The cost of 1GB data in the country is Rs 1.41 at its lowest and Rs 98.76 at its peak. The average cost of 1GB data in the country was calculated to be around Rs 18.34. The news arrives a few years after the arrival of Reliance Jio, the telecom operator that is credited for bringing down mobile data costs in the country.

Mobile Data Rates Across The World

Data from 6,313 mobile plans in 230 countries were gathered and analysed by Cable.co.uk between 23 October and 28 November 2018. The goal of the research was to find average rates of 1GB of mobile data in different countries. While India held the number one spot, it was followed by Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan for the number two and three rankings respectively. Interestingly, Asian nations make up half of the top 20 cheapest countries for mobile data, with India top and Sri Lanka, Mongolia and Myanmar also in the top ten. The global average was found to be $8.53 (around Rs 601).

The most expensive mobile data was found to be in Zimbabwe, with an average price for 1GB of data $75 (Rs 5,292). The average data plans for a few countries are highlighted below:

• USA – Rank: 182; Average Price $12.37 (around Rs 872.91)
• UK – Rank: 136; Average Price $6.66 (around Rs 469.97)
• South Korea – Rank: 201; Average Price $15.12 (around Rs 1,067)
• Japan – Rank: 154; Average Price $8.34 (around Rs 588)
• China – Rank: 165; Average Price $9.89 (around Rs 697.90)

How To Make Mobile Data Affordable?

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A senior executive at Cable explained how the countries make mobile data this affordable. He says “Many of the cheapest countries in which to buy mobile data fall roughly into one of two categories. Some have excellent mobile and fixed broadband infrastructure and so providers are able to offer large amounts of data, which brings down the price per gigabyte.” He also claimed that other countries with lesser advanced broadband networks were heavily reliant on the usage of internet through their mobile phones. This would make the rates of the said data low, in order to make them affordable.