Measuring the cost and
affordability of broadband
MEASURING THE INFORMATION SOCIETY
Measuring the cost and
affordability of broadband
Measuring the cost and affordability of
broadband is essential to support
evidence-based policies and regulatory
decisions affecting broadband prices. Price
data help monitoring the cost and
affordability of fixed- and mobile-broadband
services. The report features the first
comprehensive mobile-broadband price
data set for around 130 economies.
fixed
broadband
O.256 Mbit/s
Prices going down,
minimum speeds going up
PERCENTAGE
OF COUNTRIES
21% 16%
2008
FIXEDDEVELOPED
BROADBAND DEVELOPING
WORLD
WORLD
PRICES, AS A
PERCENTAGE
OF GNI P.C.*
165 2.5
31 1.7
2012
*GROSS
NATIONAL
INCOME
PER CAPITA
1.024 Mbit/s
2.048 Mbit/s
10 Mbit/s
50 Mbit/s
MINIMUM
ADVERTISED
SPEED IN 2012
2008 TO 2012
(GLOBAL PRICE DROP)
0.512 Mbit/s
18%
14%
20%
7%
WHILE 2008 2012
SPEEDS
HAVE
GONE
UP!
Mbit/s
9 27
% OF COUNTRIES
OFFERING MINIMUM
FIXED-BROADBAND
SPEED OF
2
OR ABOVE
fixedbroadband
price divide
HAS THE
LOWEST VALUE IN CIS
1.2% RUSSIA
HAS THE
HIGHEST VALUE IN CIS
16.3% KYRGYZSTAN
USA HAS ONE OF
0.4FIXED-BROADBAND
% THE MOST AFFORDABLE
PRICES
IN THE WORLD
Large regional differences persist
FIXED-BROADBAND
OF
CAPITA, 2012
PRICES ASGNIAPERPERCENTAGE
AFRICA
70.0 60.0 -
ASIA & PACIFIC
50.0 30.0 -
CIS
20.0 -
EUROPE
0.0 -
FIXEDTHE WORLD
BROADBAND
AFFORDABILITY
ACROSS THE REGIONS
(PRICE AS % OF GNI P.C.)
4.5
SERBIA HAS THE HIGHEST
% VALUE IN EUROPE
ABOVE 100% IN
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
AND AFGHANISTAN
THE AMERICAS
40.0 -
10.0 -
CUBA HAS
386.9
% THE LEAST
AFFORDABLE PRICE IN
ARAB STATES
MOST
AFFORDABLE
1.5
% OF GNI P.C.
EUROPE
WORLD
AVERAGE
22.1
% OF GNI P.C.
WORLD
LEAST
AFFORDABLE
64.3
% OF GNI P.C.
AFRICA
comparing
prices
Mobile broadband often
more affordable than
fixed broadband
DEVELOPED
WORLD
DEVELOPING
WORLD
MOST
AFFORDABLE
WAYS OF
ACCESSING
THE INTERNET
POST
$
POSTPAID
HANDSET-BASED
MOBILE BROADBAND
(500MB)
PRE
POST
$
POST
PREPAID
HANDSET-BASED
MOBILE BROADBAND
(500MB)
POSTPAID
COMPUTER-BASED
MOBILE BROADBAND
(1GB)
PRE
PREPAID
COMPUTER-BASED
MOBILE BROADBAND
(1GB)
POSTPAID
FIXED
BROADBAND
(1GB)
IN THE DEVELOPED
WORLD MOBILE BROADBAND
IS MORE AFFORDABLE
THAN MOBILE VOICE...
MOBILE
BROADBAND*
1.3
2.0
...WHILE IN THE DEVELOPING
WORLD MOBILE BROADBAND
IS LESS AFFORDABLE
THAN MOBILE VOICE
MOBILE
BROADBAND*
MOBILE
VOICE**
% OF GNI P.C.
13.4
% OF GNI P.C.
MOBILE
VOICE**
% OF GNI P.C.
9.6
% OF GNI P.C.
*MOBILE BROADBAND, PREPAID HANDSET-BASED (500 MB) **PACKAGE INCLUDING 30 CALLS AND 100 SMS
mobilebroadband
basket
EUROPE AND ARAB STATES
HAVE THE MOST AFFORDABLE PRICES
AUSTRIA HAS THE MOST AFFORDABLE PRICES
FOR ALL MOBILE-BROADBAND PLANS
MOBILE-BROADBAND BASKET AS
A PERCENTAGE OF GNI PER CAPITA
%
SAO TOMÉ & PRINCIPE,
OR
ZIMBABWE AND DR CONGO
MOBILE-BROADBAND
BASKET
Reveals major differences
among countries
MOBILE-BROADBAND BASKET REFLECTS
DIFFERENT MOBILE-BROADBAND PLANS
2012 TOP 10
MOST AFFORDABLE
100
MORE
1
%
OR
LESS
20 ECONOMIES, INCLUDING BAHRAIN,
KAZAKHSTAN, UAE AND URUGUAY
INDIA
3.7
P.C.
OF GNI
MOBILE
BROADBAND
IS SIX TIMES
MORE AFFORDABLE
CHINA
23.9
OF GNI
PER CAPITA
1
AUSTRIA
2
QATAR
3
UK
4
GERMANY
5
KUWAIT
6
FRANCE
7
ESTONIA
8
NORWAY
9
BELGIUM
10 SWITZERLAND
MIS2013 REPORT INFOGRAPHICS:
ICT DEVELOPMENT INDEX (IDI)
MEASURING THE COST AND
AFFORDABILITY OF BROADBAND
MEASURING THE WORLD’S
DIGITAL NATIVES
DIGITAL TV
BROADCASTING TRENDS