India has been placed at the fifth position in the Worldwide Mobile Data Pricing 2022 list. This is part of a report that measured the cost of 1GB of mobile data in 233 countries. Israel topped the list with the lowest price at $0.04 (about Rs 3 per GB). On the other hand, Saint Helena – a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean – was the most expensive, with a cost of $41.06 (about Rs 3,500). In addition, North America was listed as the world’s most valuable region, averaging around $4.98 (roughly Rs.
Worldwide mobile data pricing 2022 list was compiled by Cable.co.uk, which is a price comparison site. It claims that Israel, Italy, San Marino, Fiji and India are the top five cheapest countries to pay for mobile data, in that order. As mentioned earlier, India comes in fifth place with a cost of $0.17 (approximately Rs.14).
The report points out that India’s population relies heavily on mobile data, and this is believed to have created high demand, forcing providers to offer competitive prices. Israel, on the other hand, is considered a global leader regarding 5G technology and also holds its position at the top in terms of pricing.
According to the list, Saint Helena, Falkland Islands, So Tomé and Principe, Tokelau and Yemen are the five most expensive countries to buy mobile data. Notably, four of the five are island nations and two are located in the sub-Saharan African region.
Sub-Saharan Africa is also the second most expensive of the world’s 13 global regions, with an average cost of $4.47 (about Rs 400). North America is the most expensive and North Africa is the cheapest with an average of $1.05 (about 80 rupees).
Researchers have reportedly attributed the difference in cost to four core country ideals – excellent infrastructure, heavy dependence, small consumption and a prosperous economy. They note that the cheapest countries largely fall under the radicals with excellent infrastructure or heavy dependencies. Whereas, the most expensive countries have low consumption and terrible infrastructure. Finally, data pricing for wealthier economies tends to lean towards the global average.