While Canadians may feel the pinch when paying their monthly broadband internet bill, how does the country’s pricing compare to other nations worldwide?
Cable.co.uk —an online resource that compares internet, TV, and mobile packages in the UK— analyzed 3,405 fixed-line broadband deals in 223 countries between September and November 2023.
Sudan has the cheapest broadband internet prices in the world, with an average monthly price of US$2.40 (C$3.27). The report noted that the country’s low prices are linked to the collapse in the value of the Sudanese Pound (SDG) against USD.
Argentina is second, with a monthly cost of US$5.17 (C$7.04), followed by Belarus, Ukraine, and Egypt.
In its analysts, Cable.co.uk noted that all of the top-five cheapest countries are either dealing with their currency fall “dramatically” or are experiencing “ongoing turmoil.”
Top five cheapest countries:
Cable.co.uk/ Screenshot
The priciest country is the Solomon Islands, where the average monthly internet cost is a wild US$457.84 (C$623.78).
Cable.co.uk/ Screenshot
Cable.co.uk also examined the average prices across 13 global regions. Countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) had the cheapest internet prices averaging US$16.46 (C$22.43) per month, and Eastern Europe was a close second with prices averaging US$18.06 (C$24.61).
Dan Howdle, the consumer telecoms analyst for Cable.co.uk, noted that countries in the CIS and Eastern Europe have some of the most advanced infrastructure (high % full fibre FTTP coverage), which plays a significant factor in their low internet pricing.
The priciest region was Central America, with an average monthly price of US$105.72 (C$144.04).
North America is the third-most expensive region, with monthly broadband pricing averaging US$104.33 (C$142.14).
The report ranked Canada as the cheapest country for broadband prices in North America, with average monthly prices of US$58.26 (C$79.38).
In a push for more competition in the wireless internet market, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has been trying to make services cheaper and more accessible.
Last November, the CRTC announced it would be taking action to “increase choice and affordability of high-speed internet services for more than five million Canadian households” by allowing smaller, independent internet companies to sell services over the fibre networks of major telecommunications companies, like Bell and Telus, in some provinces.
Canada ranked 144th overall on the list, a few spots higher than the US (155). Its average monthly pricing was US$65 (C$88.56).
Howdle added that the most “advanced and developed” countries in the world tend to have the highest prices due to higher earnings, investment, and implementation of new technologies.
You can read the full report here.
With files from Isabelle Docto.