Houten, The Netherlands, 03 June 2014 - Austria, Denmark, France, Sweden and the United Kingdom are consistently cheap countries for mobile communications compared to other countries in Western Europe. Greece and Portugal on the other hand are relatively expensive for mobile consumers, according to the results of Telecompaper's EU Benchmark report for Q1 2014.
The
report compares mobile communications pricing across 16 countries in Western Europe in the first quarter of 2014. It is a follow-up to Telecompaper’s first comparison report, covering prices in the summer of 2013 across 11 countries. The latest edition adds Finland, Greece, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland. Together with Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK, they constitute the TP16.
Austria, Denmark, France, Sweden and the UK also emerged as relatively cheap for mobile communications in our previous report. To these we can now add Finland, Norway and Sweden as countries where mobile consumers generally pay less in comparison to other Western European countries. Belgium, Germany and Italy, as well as Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland display a mixed performance, with prices sometimes cheap or expensive, depending on the type of plan.
Our research shows for instance that SIM-only plans with a large bundle (1,000+ minutes, 2,000+ megabytes) varied greatly in price (monthly TCO) across the TP16. During the period researched, prices ranged from a median EUR 20 per month in Denmark to EUR 92 per month in Greece. In the Netherlands, the median price for this type of plan was EUR 42, the exact median across the 16 countries.
Methodology
The analysis is based on available subscription plans from all MNOs in the 16 European countries, as well as MVNOs currently building their own networks and a limited number of MNO-owned sub-brands. All in all, this led us to compare over 3,300 plans from 72 operators in 16 countries.
The methodology is largely unchanged from the previous report. Comparing the total cost of ownership (TCO) is central to our approach, aimed at including all elements constituting the cost of consumer communications. The (hidden) cost of a handset is among the most important aspects that need to be included in the TCO. We have distinguished between four handset choices: a cheap, mid-range or expensive phone, or alternatively a SIM-only plan. The TCO also incorporates all monthly subscription or connection costs, promotional discounts and corrections for differences in purchasing power across the 16 countries.
The report provides a detailed comparison of mobile pricing across Europe. To allow readers a closer look at the data in order to draw their own conclusions, our pricing database is available for purchase separately. The
‘EU Benchmark Q1 2014’ report provides data and analysis of the high-end smartphone and SIM-only choices, while details of all four handset choices are included in the pricing database. The full report is available for business users for EUR 4,900. Corporate users pay EUR 6,900, which includes the pricing database and plan details.
Telecompaper
Telecompaper is an independent research company. We publish the latest information about the global telecom industry and provide our international customers with need-to-know information and market insight via news feeds, newsletters, research and advisory services. Telecompaper has its main office in Houten (the Netherlands). The company was established in June 2000. ‘EU Benchmark Q1 2014’ is a research product from Telecompaper.
Contact
Tim Poulus
Financial analyst Telecompaper
+31 30 6349600
tim@telecompaper.com