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India is among the top five countries with the least expensive mobile data plans, according to the Worldwide Mobile Data Pricing 2022 list compiled by Cable.co.uk.
According to the report, India ranks fifth among 233 countries in terms of mobile data prices. The research looked at the cost for 1GB of mobile data in all 233 countries. The report found that the average price of 1GB of mobile data in India was $0.17 (around INR 13.5).
Israel took the top spot for cheapest mobile data plans in the world with an average cost for 1GB of mobile data at $0.04 (around INR 3.2). Italy ($0.12), San Marino ($0.14), and Fiji ($0.15) took the remaining three spots ahead of India.
"Italy offers the cheapest mobile data in Western Europe and also maintains the infrastructure in San Marino. Israel has been a global leader in the provision of 5G and continues to top the global table when it comes to the price of data as well. In comparison, much of India’s population relies on mobile data to get online, fuelling demand and hence keeping prices low," the platform explained on its website.
On the other end of the spectrum, Saint Helena took the top spot for the most expensive mobile data plans with an average cost of $41.06 (around INR 3282) for 1GB of data. The rest of the top five included the Falkland Islands ($38.45), São Tomé and Príncipe ($29.49), Tokelau ($17.88) and Yemen ($16.58).
"The similarities between these five nations are both striking and obvious. Two of the five are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, and four of five are island nations. Sub-Saharan Africa is the second-most expensive region in the world for mobile data generally, while island nations also tend to be among the most expensive," the platform stated.
The company attributes the low prices of mobile data in Israel to the country's excellent mobile penetration numbers. The report claims that Israel has a higher smartphone market penetration than the United States of America with around 75 per cent of Israelis owning a smartphone. As for India, the report says that much of the population relies on mobile devices to access the internet, which increases demand for mobile data and, therefore, results in lower data prices. According to an independent study, India has 646 million active internet users aged two years and above as of December 2021.