The Economics Behind India’s Super-Cheap ($0.26 Per GB) Mobile Data
How Does the Country Have the Cheapest Data Plans in the World?
Based on data for 6313 mobile plans in 230 countries, Cable.co.uk published a report on worldwide mobile data pricing in which India was judged to have the cheapest plans, costing merely $0.26 per GB on average. Compared to the US ($12.3), UK ($6.6) and many European countries, that’s awfully cheap. What explains this disparity?
The countries with cheap data plans fall into two categories, says Dan Howdle, an analyst working for Cable: “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. Others with less advanced broadband networks are heavily reliant on mobile data and the economy dictates that prices must be low, as that’s what people can afford.” India has its foot in both categories. In addition to having a well-developed mobile network infrastructure, India is also heavily reliant on mobile data for internet access. Out of the 604 million internet subscribers in the country, 582 million access internet through their mobiles.
