Related discussion from 43 days ago on an article that used this as its source data: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23795147
The cost of 1GB of mobile data in 228 countries (Feb 2020)
11–20 of 415 posts
Re: The cost of 1GB of mobile data in 228 countries (Feb 2020)
#12I don't understand, why is it that it costs less than $1 in countries in Asia for a GB of mobile data but costs ~$15 for the same in the United States? Can someone with knowledge of the industry please explain the reasons for this discrepancy to me?
Rent. American businesses love extracting rent.
Re: The cost of 1GB of mobile data in 228 countries (Feb 2020)
#13What amazes me the most with my telco is that they charge $60 for a regular plan which includes 4GB of data, SMS and phone calls, but if I want to buy 1GB extra, it's $30-40 bucks. For a single 1GB of download.
Re: The cost of 1GB of mobile data in 228 countries (Feb 2020)
#14Not sure about South Korea, for instance, being at 202nd place for affordability there when unlimited plans for even pre-paid tourist SIMs are a thing.
As I said in my post (which seems to be being downvoted despite telling the truth). The webpage is very naive and is not really telling the truth about mobile contracts.
The wallet cost of mobile data is lower than the inflated prices shown on the website.
Re: The cost of 1GB of mobile data in 228 countries (Feb 2020)
#15I don't understand, why is it that it costs less than $1 in countries in Asia for a GB of mobile data but costs ~$15 for the same in the United States? Can someone with knowledge of the industry please explain the reasons for this discrepancy to me?
Cellular service clearly can be delivered more cheaply in poor countries. Telenor for example is Noweigian (very wealthy country) but offers service at lower prices in Myanmar.
One reason is labor costs. Imagine how much it costs to build and maintain one tower in Norway with its high standard of living for everyone vs in Myanmar where people will work for much less, and with lower safety standards.
And obviously providers will charge more if they can, less if they have to.
Re: The cost of 1GB of mobile data in 228 countries (Feb 2020)
#16This is an amazing visualization and clearly shows what I found while traveling through Asia. Would love to see this mixed with average salary per country, which I expect will show an inverse correlation.
Re: The cost of 1GB of mobile data in 228 countries (Feb 2020)
#17I drove around Africa from mid 2016 to mid 2019[1]. I bought a SIM in most of the 35 countries I went to, uploaded YT vids, hi-res photos and just video chatted family. Overall the 3G connectivity was impressively fast, and almost always a fraction of the price of Canada or the US. Overall, I was extremely impressed. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waQGUz0Z97Y&list=PLNiCe5roBX...
Woah that's quite an adventure! How come you stopped in Egypt and didn't go back to Morocco? Tunisia is a great country to visit.
It was always my dream to complete the loop, but the situation just didn't allow it.
It is impossible to get a visa for Libya, and with the ongoing civil war the safety situation is B.A.D. Even if I got a visa, the Egyptian military wouldn't let me get anywhere NEAR the border. They're extremely protective of tourists and won't let them go anywhere "dangerous". They also wouldn't let me drive the Sinai over to Isreal.
Also, the border from Algeria into Morocco has been closed for years, and nobody could tell me what would happen if I showed up and tried to cross.
So, unfortunately Egypt was the end of the line on that one!
Re: The cost of 1GB of mobile data in 228 countries (Feb 2020)
#18I don't understand, why is it that it costs less than $1 in countries in Asia for a GB of mobile data but costs ~$15 for the same in the United States? Can someone with knowledge of the industry please explain the reasons for this discrepancy to me?
They make you pay what they can.
Re: The cost of 1GB of mobile data in 228 countries (Feb 2020)
#19I'm doing my part in the US by not paying for a single byte of mobile data. They will have to bring the price down for me to consider it.
Re: The cost of 1GB of mobile data in 228 countries (Feb 2020)
#20This is great. But additional and important context is speed. Knowing coverage would be a plus as well.
Slow with mediocre coverage might be inexpensive but that waiting (and swearing?) comes with a cost.