![]() ![]() ![]() In Canada, the cost is $4.80 for 250 texts ($0.02 per text). In contrast, the cheapest text rate offered is in Sweden at $17. ![]() customers have to pay for sent and received texts, the rate per text is doubled to $0.05. following a close second at $5.00 for 200 texts per month (or $5.00 for 100 texts sent). provides the most expensive plan at $7.70 for 75 texts per month ($0.10/per text) with the U.S. is in the highest price tier in the postpaid and prepaid text plans sharing space with U.K., Canada and Denmark while Sweden, India and Japan fall in the lowest price tier.įor postpaid text plans, the U.K. Customers in South Korea ($0.09), Finland ($0.10), Taiwan ($0.12) and Denmark ($0.17) also enjoy relatively cheap rates for prepaid voice service. This is much higher than the rates in countries such as India, Hong Kong, and Sweden, where pricing is $0.01/minute, $0.02/minute, and $0.04/minute respectively. The United States is in the middle price tier at $0.25 per minute. In the case of prepaid voice plans, while Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom are in the highest price tier among the countries surveyed, with costs of $0.37 to $0.38 per minute. India and Sweden charge only by usage and cost $0.01 per minute and $0.04 per minute respectively. In addition, our study found that while some countries only provide plans and charge consumers with a preset minimum number of minutes regardless of their usage (though they can chose from the different volumes of preset plans depending on their needs) other countries charge consumers only for actual usage with a very negligible monthly fee. The cheapest postpaid voice plan is available in Hong Kong at $8.50 for 600 minutes per month, which is $0.01 per minute, while the monthly rate is $38.70 for 250 minutes in Canada and $39.99 for 450 minutes in U.S.(or $39.99 for 225 minutes of call minutes placed), which is $0.30 and $0.18 per minute respectively almost 30 times higher than Hong Kong ($0.01/minute). and Canada (where customers are charged for calls placed and received) the rate per minute is doubled for these two countries, as shown in the figure. Since receiving phone calls is free of charge in the countries studied, except for the U.S. ![]() are in the high price tier of countries surveyed, trailingonly behind Canada and Japan. and Japan mostly fall in the high to middle price tiers while India, Hong Kong and Sweden fall in the low price tier.įor postpaid voice plans, the U.S. Key Findings: Across postpaid and prepaid voice plans, Canada, U.S., U.K. To provide a more direct comparison, our study indicates the price in US Dollar (USD) per minute, per text, and per megabyte at a unit level and minimum total cost of individual cell phone package. We consider unbundled services using rates available to individual consumers. In OTI's study, we researched cell phone voice, text and data services for prepaid, regular postpaid, and unlimited postpaid plans provided by prominent cell phone carriers in 11 countries. In contrast, in countries where competition is less and regulation more lax, higher prices and a limited choice of plans prevail. In other countries it appears that a significantly more competitive market than what exists in the United States has resulted in innovative offerings and lower pricing for consumers. Plans in some countries provide different offerings and bundled services for students, professionals, family, corporate and special needs consumers. With recent policy debates over Bill Shock and Consumer Disclosure, this study provides useful insight into business models prevalent in several key countries. The New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative (OTI) recently completed a survey on the costs and types of mobile cell phone packages available to consumers around the world. Cell phones are intertwined with our lives no matter where we are in the world. ![]()
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