By: Don Caldwell
Do you think you pay too much for your cell phone service?
Excerpts italicized:
Mobile users in the US and Canada tend to pay more for a complete cell phone package than anyone else in the world, according to a new report from the New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative (OTI). The foundation examined the different types of mobile packages in various countries in order to determine the minimum cost for voice minutes, texting, and data, and found that—surprise!—countries with more competition and more regulation tended to have the best pricing.
OTI examined prepaid, unlimited, and postpaid plans in 11 countries in order to determine the best rates in each. Overall, the foundation said that mobile users in the US need to pay at least $59.99 for a complete cell phone package that includes voice, text, and data (which we'll break down in a minute). Comparatively, users in Canada must pay US$67.50—making Canada the only country to top the US.
India and Hong Kong came in with the cheapest complete plans, at $12.90 and $13.50 respectively
(source: New America Foundation / Arstechnica.com)
What will it take for cell phone plan prices to come down? Is it a failure of the government to regulate of big telecom companies? Are the big telecom companies engaged in anti-competitive practices?
(ORIGINAL LINK) US, Canada have priciest cell phone plans in the world
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