Canada ranks 11th in global index for phone, mobile, Internet pricing

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has ranked Canada 11th in a global index of consumer prices for landline telephony, mobile phone and broadband services. The new data, released this month, ranked Canada as offering the 11th cheapest prices for the services out of 80 countries, with an “ICT Price Basket” index of 0.58 in 2009, a few points cheaper from its 2008 index of 0.73. Macao, China, ranked the cheapest for the services, with an index of 0.23 in 2009, followed by Hong Kong, with an index of 0.26. The United States ranked sixth in the “Price Basket” index, Denmark seventh, and the United Kingdom ninth. In penetration statistics, the ITU reported that 54.9 per cent of Canadians had landline telephone connections in 2008, and 66.4 per cent had mobile phone subscriptions. Also in 2008, 80 per cent of Canadian households had a computer and 75.1 per cent had Internet access. In its global information and communications technology (ICT) development rankings, Canada ranked 21 out of 159 countries. The rankings show that Canada received a development index of 6.49 in 2008, up slightly from 6.30 in 2007. The development index ranks countries relative to one another according to progress in ICT development and the extent to which they make use of ICTs, capabilities and skills to enhance growth and development. The top ranked country for development in 2008, Sweden, received an index of 7.85. In development, Canada was ranked behind Korea, Denmark, the Netherlands, Iceland, Switzerland, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Germany, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, France, and the United States. In the Americas, Canada ranked second in development, behind the United States. St. Vincent and the Grenadines was ranked third, Argentina fourth, and Uruguay fifth. “Some developing countries in the region, including Argentina, Guatemala, and Trinidad and Tobago have not only exceeded the 100 percent penetration mark but are also ahead of Canada and the United States, the region’s most developed economies,” the report said of the Americas.

Canada ranks 11th in global index for phone, mobile, Internet pricing

Brief | April 23, 2010

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Canada ranks 11th in global index for phone, mobile, Internet pricing

Brief | April 23, 2010

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