Minister of state (MoS) for Communications and Rural Development, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, said that the communication cost in India is one of the lowest in world. The policies of the government and regulatory framework notified by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has resulted into one of the lowest costs for subscribers of mobile services in India.
The comparison of mobile services pricing, as published by International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2024 consisting of (140 minutes + 70 SMS + 2GB) for basket of mobile, voice, SMS and data basket in some of the neighbouring countries and other countries is as follows:
India’s cost stands at $1.86, placing it among the lowest globally. This is lower than Bangladesh ($2.40), Nepal ($2.72), Bhutan ($4.56), Afghanistan ($6.01) and China ($8.56), while Pakistan ($1.43) is lower among neighbouring countries. In contrast, the same basket is significantly more expensive in developed markets such as the US ($48.95) and Australia ($23.07), and remains higher in the UK ($12.62), South Africa ($9.37), Russia ($5.58), Brazil ($5.75) and Indonesia ($3.13), with Egypt ($1.65) marginally below India.