Who Can Afford Mobile Service in Latin America?
Mobile telephony has experienced a dramatic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean and it has an average penetration level of around 80 per cent. But with average costs that double the rates of mobile services in OECD countries, who can afford it?
If we take income into account and compare price levels in Latin America with those of other regions, mobile telephony in the region turns out to be quite expensive, according to a DIRSI study on ICT Indicators and Mobile affordability.
However, the results show a wide variety of situations among countries in the region. Low-tariff countries include Paraguay, Costa Rica and Jamaica. Brazil has the highest tariffs, they are are almost eight times higher than in Paraguay (USD45 vs. USD6).
But the study also reveals that average tariffs in the region are high when compared to other regions. The average cost in Latin America (USD24 in parity dollars) doubles the average of OECD countries (USD13) and more than triples the average of south Asia countries (USD7).
Read more on the DIRSI web site.
Download the report (currently in Spanish only, translation to be published later).
Source: DIRSI
