Prices of 4G&5G smartphone plans continued to fall in EU in 1H2022. The median monthly price of smartphone plans in EU fell to 19 EUR in 1H2022. The median price of 4G plans fell to 15 EUR while the median price of 5G plans fell to 28 EUR. Prices of 5G plans continued to fall faster than 4G plans (~18% per annum versus ~12%). The Canadian wireless market, a de-facto network duopoly, was again ranked as the most expensive market among 50 European, American, Asia Pacific, Middle East and African countries.

When will mobile network operators run out of 4G capacity and how many more gigabytes per subscriber per month can they carry with 5G? A study of 170 mobile network operators from 50 European, American, Asian Pacific, Middle East and African countries. Zain Kuwait had the highest mobile data usage per subscriber in 2021 – 86 gigabytes per subscriber per month. Elisa Finland has the highest 4G & 5G untapped capacity potential – as much as a terabyte per subscriber per month.

What are the factors that significantly affect mobile prices? Market concentration has a statistically significant effect on mobile prices. The lower the market concertation (HHI) the lower price. The number of mobile network operators (MNOs) has an even stronger statistically significant effects on mobile prices. The higher the number of MNOs the lower the price. The presence of a maverick (disruptive firm) has as well a significant lowering effect on mobile prices.