New Ofcom research shows that UK consumers are benefiting from lower-priced communications services than people in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the USA. These findings form part of Ofcom’s ninth International Communications Market Report.
Ofcom compared five different types of household - from lower-volume users to affluent consumers with higher communications demands - and identified the best deals in each country. In four out of the five cases, the UK was either the cheapest or second cheapest.
When communications prices were viewed as a percentage of overall household spending, the UK was the most affordable country.
The biggest savings for UK consumers could be found with mobile phone deals, which were significantly cheaper than in other major European countries. For example, a typical mobile phone with 200 minutes, 50 texts and 200MB of data would cost an average £14 per month in the UK but a consumer in the USA would pay four times as much (£57).
James Thickett, Ofcom’s Director of Research, said “The report confirms that consumers in the UK are benefiting from one of the world’s most price competitive marketplaces for communications services. Telecoms bills have been falling in real terms in the UK for the past ten years. However, consumers are not just benefiting from cheaper deals – they are also getting much more for less, as the quality and range of telecoms services has expanded hugely in that time.”
[Ofcom International Communications Market report (pdf)]