Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs releases cross-border telecom price survey

Seoul tops 4G rankings at 20GB tier

Rates more than double those in Tokyo and Paris

Seoul ranks 2nd and 3rd in 5G categories

Seoul's mobile data costs rank among the highest of any major global city, on par with New York. [Generated by ChatGPT]
Seoul's mobile data costs rank among the highest of any major global city, on par with New York. [Generated by ChatGPT]

A Japanese government survey has found that Seoul ranks among the most expensive cities in the world for mobile data costs, on par with New York.

Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on Sunday released a report comparing 4G and 5G mobile service rates across six cities — Seoul, Tokyo, New York, London, Paris and Düsseldorf — titled "Survey on Domestic and International Price Differences for Telecommunications Services."

The survey measured what consumers pay at the market-leading carrier in each country, based on late last year's rates for new contracts at the cheapest available plan. Under the 4G tier with 20 gigabytes of monthly data, SK Telecom subscribers in Seoul paid 6,916 yen ($44) — the highest of any city surveyed.

Verizon in New York came in a close second at 6,684 yen, followed by Telekom Deutschland in Düsseldorf at 4,037 yen and Telefonica UK in London at 3,259 yen.

Seoul's rates were 2.3 times higher than fifth-place NTT Docomo in Tokyo at 2,974 yen, and 2.8 times higher than sixth-place Orange in Paris at 2,495 yen.

Seoul remained the most expensive city even when the 4G data allowance was raised to 50GB. Seoul topped the list at 6,916 yen, ahead of Düsseldorf at 6,732 yen, New York at 6,684 yen, Tokyo at 4,954 yen, London at 3,686 yen and Paris at 3,465 yen.

At the 100GB tier under 4G, Seoul dropped to second place and fell to third for unlimited data plans — no longer the single most expensive city, though still among the highest.

For unlimited 4G plans, Seoul came in at 8,754 yen, below Düsseldorf at 11,450 yen and Tokyo at 9,332 yen, but above New York at 6,684 yen and London at 4,966 yen. Orange in Paris does not offer an unlimited plan.

The data allowances in the survey are based on plan specifications and do not reflect actual consumer usage.

A separate survey by the Korea Consumer Federation last October found that the median data consumption among consumers was 28GB, with 40.4 percent on unlimited plans.

Under 5G plans, Seoul's rates were still on the high end, though less pronounced than under 4G.

At the 20GB tier, Seoul ranked second at 4,902 yen, behind New York's 6,684 yen. At 50GB, Seoul came in third at 5,603 yen, trailing Düsseldorf at 6,732 yen and New York at 6,684 yen.

For unlimited 5G plans, Seoul at 7,237 yen ranked third, behind Düsseldorf at 11,450 yen and Tokyo at 9,332 yen. New York and London came in at 6,684 yen and 4,966 yen, respectively.


greg@heraldcorp.com