Page 15 - Measuring digital development The affordability of ICT services 2024

The affordability of ICT services

Figure 6: Trends in ICT price levels, by income group and basket (prices in constant
2023 USD PPP)
World Low-income Lower-middle inc. Upper-middle inc. High-income
100
90 Fixed
broadband
80
70 Mobile data &
voice high
60 consumption
50 Mobile data &
voice low
40 consumption
30 Data-only
mobile
20 broadband
10 Mobile
cellular low-
0 usage
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

Note: The 2024 World Bank income groups were applied� Median values shown in the chart were calculated
as a percentage of GNI per capita for the set of economies for which data were available for all years between
2018 and 2024 for a given basket in order to adjust the effect of changing data availability�
Source: ITU

Figure 6 provides an overview of the price of in 2024, still behind lower-middle-income
the five baskets, expressed in constant 2023 countries, where the mobile baskets are
USD PPP, at the global level and in the four the cheapest. In these two income groups,
income groups. prices for the mobile baskets have decreased
between 8 and 14 per cent on average annually
Noteworthy is that, at the global level, the since 2018.
price of the fixed-broadband basket has
hardly decreased, from USD PPP 47.5 in 2018 The fixed-broadband basket is also least
to 44.5 in 2024, an annual average decline of expensive in lower-middle income countries,
just 1.1 per cent. The section Affordability of just ahead of upper-middle- and high-income
fixed broadband below offers further insights, countries. In low-income countries, though,
including on quality improvements in the this basket is 1.7 times as expensive as in
entry-level fixed-broadband service underlying lower-middle-income countries. The price of
these trends. The fixed-broadband basket is this basket has been very sticky since 2018,
also two to three times more expensive than especially in upper-middle- and high-income
the four mobile baskets, which all recorded countries, where prices have even increased
notable price drops between 2018 and 2024 somewhat between 2018 and 2024.
(even if there was a slight uptick for the mobile
data and voice high-consumption basket in These findings suggest that while absolute
2024), with annual average real decreases price levels have converged to some extent,
between 7 and 10 per cent. this trend has not been matched by a similar
convergence in income levels. As a result,
The figure also shows another notable trend, large affordability gaps persist between high-
namely that in low-income countries the and low-income countries.
four mobile baskets have moved from most
expensive in 2018 to second least expensive

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