As for the Indian market, it is quite clear what the operators want to do now and how the rates will change in the future. But so far, the private operators in the country including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have ensured that Indians continue to get data at one of the cheapest rates in the world. Although the data price has increased by a good margin, it is still quite affordable. Of all the private telcos, Jio is the one that offers the lowest rates in the country. Since Jio’s rates are not too high, Airtel and Vi cannot go up in prices again, otherwise they will lose market share. But the rate increases coming in the near future. First, let’s take a look at where India stands globally in terms of how affordable its data speeds are.
How affordable is data in India compared to other countries?
According to a report published by Cable.co.uk, India ranks fifth globally when it comes to offering the cheapest data rates. The average cost of 1 GB of mobile data in India costs $0.17. The top four countries in the list with the most affordable data are: Israel ($0.04), Italy ($0.12), San Marino ($0.14) and Fiji ($0.15).
But if you are someone who lives in South Korea, condolences go out to you. The average cost of 1 GB of data in South Korea is $12.55. But India’s ranking is sure to change in the coming months as another round of tariff hikes is rolled out. At the moment, the two largest telcos are close to the ARPU (average revenue per user) of Rs 200. But this is not where the telcos want to stop. While Jio hardly ever comments on ARPU, it is Vi and Airtel who want it to reach Rs 300.
