Paying More for a Slower Internet Connection? Check This Global Comparison!

Economy | October 5, 2009 at 3:03 am

The internet has reduced the world to a global village. Can you live without the internet today? I don’t think I can. I feel as though my friend from Alaska is my next door neighbor. Not only that, I use it for earning a living, for promoting my own business, for enhancing my knowledge and also for entertainment. I can relate to millions of people around me on this planet who simply love this electronic connection and rely on it heavily. But everything comes for a price. Though our communication seems to have been brought to a common platform by the biggest technological revolution of the present times, the prices are on widely uneven lands. Not all of us are paying the same amount nor enjoying communication at the same speeds all over the world.

According to the OECD and ITIF rankings from BillShrink, if I were a lucky Japanese I’d be busily socializing with my online buddies at the rate of just USD 0.27/ mbps per month at a remarkably high speed of 61 mbps. At the other extreme, if I were from Greece I’d be spending more than USD 20/ mbps per month for a speed of about 1-2 mbps. Icelanders are enjoying good broadband facilities as they have the highest penetration percentage of 80 %. Mexico has the lowest broadband penetration percentage of only 20 %. Even though a technologically very well developed country, surprisingly the US ranks 15th on the list of internet costs and speeds infographics with a recorded average expenditure of $3.3/ mbps at a speed of 4.8 mbps. Japan is followed by Korea, Finland, Sweden and France in the internet costs and speeds usage list. See the graph and assess which country you belong.

internet service providers Anyways, here are some tips that internet addicts like me can use to reduce their broadband charges regardless of the country they belong to:

Do some researches on the best offers- Internet service providers are available in plenty and the service charges depend on the area in which you are located. Confused, Simplify Digital, Broadband Choices are some of the websites that can give you a list of internet providers and their offers.
Go for a bundle offer – most mobile phone companies and providing internet broadband services. Go for the internet service from the provider from whom you’ve taken your mobile or telephone connection. Many providers offer discounts to customers who opt for two or more services from them.
Assess your surfing requirements –Is it for only checking emails? Is it for downloading movies or is it for simply visiting websites for collecting information without downloading much. If you need internet for email communication, there’s no point in going for a 20 MB -60 mbps connection that will cost you an enormous amount. Go for a 2 MB – 10 mbps connection and your purpose will be served without you having to pay an extra am0ount on facilities that you allow to rust on your system.