Browsing On Your Phone Is The Cheapest In The World: Indians Have Access To ‘Staggeringly Cheap’ Data, Says Report

According to a recent study, India has the lowest data rates in the world with 1GB of internet data costing just Rs 18.5 ($0.26), just 3 per cent of the global average of Rs 600 ($8.53), reports Economic Times (ET).

Price comparison site Cable.co.uk published the study, analysing mobile data charges in over 230 countries. While the average rate for one gigabyte (GB) of data in the UK was $6.66, it was $12.37 in the US. It should be noted that the per capita income of both these countries is significantly higher than that of India.

"A country whose young population has a particularly high technological awareness, India offers a vibrant smartphone market, with strong adoption and many competitors. Data, therefore, is quite staggeringly cheap," it said.

Low data prices in India can be attributed to the ongoing price war in the Indian telecom industry which was triggered by the launch of Reliance Jio in September 2016. Due to rock-bottom prices, many telecom players in the industry have reported losses for consecutive quarters.

Cheaper Than Cold Drink

In October 2018 Prime Minister Narendra Modi had remarked that “1 GB data in India was cheaper than a bottle of cold drink in the country.” He had also showered praise on India’s “tremendous progress” in setting up the digital infrastructure,

Zimbabwe is the most expensive country with 1GB of data costing an average $75.20.