Canada has changed its ranking among countries with the most expensive mobile data, but not in the direction it should.
A recent report from HelloSafe, a financial and insurance products comparison platform, found Canada to be the 10th most expensive country in the world for mobile data. In HelloSafe’s May 2023 report, Canada ranked 19th.
The study found Canadians paid an average of $7.36 per 1GB of mobile data in September, 26 times higher than France’s $0.28 per GB. It should be noted that despite Canada increasing in ranking, the cost of mobile data decreased slightly compared to HelloSafe’s last report reported figure of $7.75 per GB.
The only other countries with an equivalent standard of living that paid more than Canada were Switzerland ($9.99), the U.S. ($8.22), and New Zealand ($8.07).
Visit HelloSafe Canada for more tools.
The results are based on Cable.co.uk’s analysis of 5,000 cell packages from around the world between June and September 2023.
Examining the most recent figures within Canada, the study notes Saskatchewan offered the cheapest mobile data. Residents paid an average of $20/month for a 1GB plan, thanks to competition from regional provider SaskTel.
“This result is due to the presence of the operator Sasktel, which allows it to compete with the monopoly of the three historical players of the market (Telus, Rogers and Bell).”
Ontario, British Columbia, and Manitoba residents pay an average of $28/month for a similar package, while Québec and Nova Scotia residents pay a bit more at $29/month.
The regional findings are based on the federal government’s 2022 Wall Communications study examining wireless plans in Canada.
HelloSafe’s full analysis is available here.
Image credit: Shutterstock
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