We all know that connectivity around the world has improved, but pages and online services are slower than ever. The classic way to compensate is a faster connection... which brings us to price. Every provider asks (basically) whatever they want, creating differences that exceed 50 euros even within the same continent, for the same plan. With a 100 Mbps base, the folks at Picodi published several charts analyzing the cheapest internet services in the world, the packages available for the same price, and the cost of that wonderful limit, called "one gigabit per second".
How fast is your internet connection? How much do you pay for it? Do you consider it decent quality... or do you want to burn everything down? Every time we enter this territory we discover that hatred for providers is universal, and the underlying message is the same: internet should be a much more economical and stable resource than it is today, but market leaders don't seem to get it, whether due to lack of capacity or pure greed.
The price of 100 Mbps
The differences can be gigantic, and nothing better to visualize them than this study published by the deal-hunting portal Picodi. As a starting point, it establishes a base of 100 megabits per second, the most offered plan in 55 of the 63 countries on the list. The country with the most expensive 100 Mbps in the world is South Africa, at 78.96 euros, or 79 euro cents per megabit. At the other extreme is Ukraine, with just 5.60 euros, or six cents per megabit.
Spain's situation places the country in the middle of the table, with an average of 29.95 euros per 100 Mbps, or 30 euro cents per megabit. Some might think that's not catastrophic, but the simple fact of seeing that in Hungary they pay a third of that amount... is irritating. What happens on the other side of the Atlantic? Personally, I believe companies are exploiting their customers in the United States, with very questionable practices that go beyond price (45 euros per 100 Mbps). And in the Latin American case, the most competitive country to access 100 megabits per second is Argentina, a step above 20 euros.
What can you get for 20 euros?
Speaking of 20 euros, how much speed can you buy for that amount? Poland, Hungary, India, Latvia, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine are prime cases, since that is the price for a monthly link of one gigabit per second. Unfortunately, Spain falls on the other side of the list, occupying the "Bottom 5" with 20 Mbps. The cheapest gigabit? Once again, Romania. Available information indicates that a connection at that speed costs 8 euros per month.
The bottom line
In summary... more Romania for everyone? We want faster and cheaper connections, but these benefits must also reach mobile devices. Continuing to pay for downloaded gigabytes feels prehistoric.
Official site: Click here
