International figures from ABI Research show that 4G data currently costs around 20% more than the equivalent 3G tariff. However, the research company says there are signs that competition is already causing 4G tariffs to fall.
Jake Saunders, vice president for forecasting at ABI Research, said “In South Korea, SK Telecom has cut its 4G pricing to remain competitive. Their ‘LTE 62 Plan’ for smartphones used to be priced US$55.04 [£34.26] for 3GB of data, but the monthly download quota has now been increased to 5GB. ABI Research has seen similar 4G mobile data quota and/or pricing revisions in Norway, Hong Kong, and the US.”
ABI Research has found the world’s cheapest 4G data plan is available from CSL in Hong Kong while the lowest 3G tariff can be found in Singapore, where M1 offers a 4GB plan for $9.62 [£5.99] monthly.
[Research]