Recently, Cable.co.uk (the UK consultancy and research firm for cable television, internet, and telecommunications services) published a report on the internet service prices in 211 countries and territories around the world.
Cable.co.uk collected data from 3,288 fixed-line service providers in 211 countries and territories from October to December 2020. Accordingly, the average amount that users worldwide have to spend for one month of internet service is $78.14.
Ukraine is the country with the lowest average internet price in the world, with an average price of only $6.41 for one month of internet usage. Following it is Syria, with an average internet price of $6.49/month.
Notably, Vietnam ranks 6th in Asia, 12th in the world, and 1st in Southeast Asia for low internet service prices. On average, users in Vietnam will have to spend $11.27 (equivalent to 260,000 VND) for one month of internet usage.
Additionally, Vietnam is also one of the countries with the lowest year-to-year price fluctuations globally, with the average price in 2020 only rising by about $0.04 (equivalent to 900 VND) compared to 2019.
In contrast, African countries, with inadequate telecommunications infrastructure, lack of competition among service providers, and low average incomes, have the highest mobile internet prices in the world.
The report states that 4 out of 5 countries with the highest average internet prices in the world are located in Africa, where users in Eritrea will have to spend an average of $2,666.24/month for internet access. Mauritania ranks second in high internet prices, with a cost of $712.46 for one month of internet usage.
Following are Comoros ($414.01/month), Burundi ($370/month), and Macau ($307.74/month). Yemen has the highest price volatility in internet prices globally, with an average price of $2,466.67/month in 2019, but in 2020, this price dropped to $39.34/month, a decrease of $2,427.32/month.