World broadband prices league table puts UK to shame

Bargain?

Consumer telecoms analysts at Cable.co.uk have compiled the latest league tables for world broadband prices. The UK have been put to shame with some of the most expensive prices in the world. Most surprisingly it was war-torn Syria that came in at number 1 – though this is more to do with the collapse of the Syrian pound than the great infrastructure.

The report also found that world broadband speeds accelerating by roughly 20.65% between 2018 and 2019. It also found that the average price of broadband has fallen by almost one fifth (19.975%) since 2018! So while value for money might not be great in the UK at least services are improving.

How much?!

The study compared 3,095 broadband deals from around the world. It might appear that the UK did well. We came in at sixth cheapest out of European countries with average package price of just under £30.

We were beaten on this one by France, Germany, Andorra, Italy and Monaco. However when looking at value for money we came 23rd out of 29 European countries.

This is because of our slower average speeds. Which means that in the UK we have a monthly cost per 1Mbps of $1.07 (82p). This is 11 times more expensive than in Sweden!

US-eh?

However, we’re better off than North Americans. Broadband in the US was ranked at 119th place globally with an average monthly price of $50. What’s more, the US are facing a bit of a crisis of content. There are contentious plans to start charging different prices for different levels of access to the internet. You might have heard of the uproar over this so called ‘net neutrality’.

Many are concerned this will lead to effective censorship unless you can afford a pricey broadband package. So by 2025 US citizens might be paying hundreds of dollars to access things like Netflix.

The world’s most expensive broadband bill.

For the most expensive bill in the world you’d have to live in Eritrea. The average monthly broadband packages cost an insane $2,666.24. The researchers found that the most expensive “deal” (a word used liberally here) is $15,051.29.

Good news?

On the opposite end of the spectrum Romania are almost giving broadband away! With offers like 1Gbps for $8.15 a month. This is because of widespread fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections. They even guarantee a minimum 50Mbps if you can’t afford the $8.15. Hopefully this is the direction the UK is heading in with the government’s push for full gigabit connection by 2025.