Higher mobile bills hit Indian consumers harder than most nations

Higher tariffs on mobile bills pinch Indian wallets more than in other countries. A Business Standard analysis from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) shows that while overall bills are lower in India in absolute terms, they are a larger share of monthly income than in many economies.

Mobile phone bills in India have also risen more than in other countries since the pandemic. The cost is up 28 per cent from 2019 levels.

The data considered prices on a purchasing power parity basis in dollars (chart 1).

In India, people shell out close to 1.1 per cent on their bills compared to 0.7 per cent in China and the United States (chart 2). The data considered a mobile data and voice low consumption basket.