Study of broadband pricing in 196 countries
Study of broadband pricing in 196 countries reveals
vast global disparities in the cost of getting online – UK
ranks 62nd cheapest
• Over 3,351 broadband packages were
recorded and analysed by BDRC Continental and Cable.co.uk
between 18 August and 12 October 2017
• Iran offers the
world's cheapest broadband, with an average monthly cost of
USD 5.37. Burkina Faso is the most expensive, with an
average package price of USD 954.54 per month
• Six of
the ten countries where broadband is the cheapest were
formerly a part of the USSR (now collectively known as the
Commonwealth of Independent States or CIS), including the
Russian Federation itself
• Sub-Saharan Africa fared
worst overall with almost all the 31 countries measured
found in the most expensive half of the table, with 16 in
the most expensive quarter
• The full league table can
be accessed via Google Sheets. We have also
built an interactive map which can be embedded
into your web page
Tuesday 21 November 2017:
Data from 3,351 individual broadband packages was
gathered by BDRC Continental and compiled and
analysed by Cable.co.uk during the eight-week period
up to 12 October 2017.
Iran offers the world’s cheapest
broadband, with an average cost of USD 5.37 per month.
Burkina Faso is the most expensive, with an average package
price of USD 954.54.
Six of the top ten cheapest
countries in the world are found in the former USSR
(Commonwealth of Independent States or CIS), including the
Russian Federation itself.
Within Western Europe, Italy
is the cheapest, with an average package price of USD 28.89
per month, followed by Germany (USD 34.07), Denmark (USD
35.90) and France (USD 36.34). The UK came in 8th cheapest
out of 28, with an average package price of USD 40.52 per
month.
In the Near East region, war-ravaged Syria came in
cheapest with an average monthly price of USD 12.15 per
month (and ranked fifth overall), with Saudi Arabia (USD
84.03), Bahrain (USD 104.93), Oman (USD 147.87), Qatar (USD
149.41) and the United Arab Emirates (USD 155.17) providing
the most expensive connectivity in the region.
Iran is the cheapest in Asia (as well as cheapest globally) with an average package price of USD 5.37 per month, followed by Nepal (USD 18.85) and Sri Lanka (USD 20.17) – all three ranked among the cheapest in the world. The Maldives (USD 86.08), Laos (USD 231.76) and Brunei (UD 267.33) provide the most expensive package price per month.
Mexico is the
cheapest country in Central America with an average
broadband package cost per month of USD 26.64, whereas
Panama is the most expensive with an average package price
of USD 112.77 per month.
In North America, Canada offers
the cheapest broadband on average (USD 54.92), coming in 21
positions ahead of the United States globally (USD 66.17).
Bermuda provides the most expensive packages in the region
with an average price of USD 126.80 per
month.
Saint-Martin offers the cheapest broadband in the
Caribbean, with an average package price of USD 20.72 per
month, with the British Virgin Islands (USD 146.05), Antigua
and Barbuda (USD 153.78), Cayman Islands (USD 175.27) and
Haiti (224.19) at the most expensive end, both regionally
and globally.
Sub-Saharan Africa fared worst overall with
almost all countries in the most expensive half of the
table. Burkina Faso charges residential users a staggering
USD 954.54 per month for their ADSL. Meanwhile Namibia (USD
432.86), Zimbabwe (USD 170.00) and Mali (USD 163.96) are
among the 10 most expensive countries.
All 13 countries
in Oceania were found in the most expensive half of the
global table. Generally, larger landmasses such as Australia
and New Zealand are cheaper than smaller islands in the
region. Fiji, however, is actually the cheapest in Oceania
with an average cost of USD 57.44. Vanuatu (USD 154.07),
Cook Islands (USD 173.57) and Papua New Guinea (USD 597.20)
are the most expensive in the region, with the latter coming
in second-most expensive in the world.
In a previous report, Cable.co.uk
analysed over 63m broadband speed tests to rank nearly 200
countries by the average internet speed they offer. If you
wish, you can couple figures from this research to identify
countries that are, for example, both slow and expensive or
cheap and fast.
Commenting on the findings of the
research Dan Howdle, consumer telecoms analyst at Cable.co.uk,
said:
“In the UK there can be no doubt there is still a significant number of people who feel they are paying too much for a service that's less than adequate. However, the hugely popular narrative that the UK has awful, expensive broadband simply isn’t true.
“These figures, along with the global speed measures we released in August this year, show the UK is not only in the top fifth fastest, but also in the top third cheapest in both the world and Western Europe.
“Our data demonstrates that when it comes to broadband, both the national marketplace and the infrastructure that underpins it are imperfect no matter where you live.
"With a healthy, open marketplace
offering very cheap broadband deals to everyone, and
so-called ‘superfast’ speeds to almost 96% of homes, the
UK is doing considerably better than the majority of
countries around the world.”
Notes for
editors
• IMPORTANT
NOTICE: The numbers shown in the body of the text
in this release are reflective of exchange rates as they
were at the time of writing. The exact amounts in the full
results spreadsheet change along with fluctuations in
exchange rate – they are 'live' for want of a better
word
• A full methodological description as well as specific instructions on how to manipulate the data can be found in the tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet
• If using our research and/or commentary we would
deeply appreciate a link either to https://www.cable.co.uk or indeed to our
media centre https://www.cable.co.uk/media-centre/release/new-worldwide-broadband-price-league-unveiled/