India ranks 44th on a list of nations overpaying for internet connections

Hyderabad: India ranks 44th on a list of nations overpaying for internet connections. Despite having one of the cheapest internet in the world, studies have found that Indians are still overpaying for their internet plans. Surfshark produced the Global Internet Value Index (IVi), where India was 26% below the world average.

Oceania and Europe are ranked high on the list, while North America, South America, and Africa have the least affordable plans. Only 4 out of 10 consumers worldwide pay a fair price for internet access, while the remaining 61% overspend.

The Global Internet Value Index (IVi) is made by dividing each country's internet speed by how much it costs. This shows whether or not countries should be paying more for their internet. For example, India ranks 44th globally according to Surfshark's data with an index of 0.0542, which is 26% lower than the global average. This indicates that Indians overpay for their internet compared to people in other nations.

India is ranked 10th in terms of regional position, with an index 28% lower than the average for Asia. In Southern Asia, India is in first place. Bangladesh and Nepal, ranked 83rd and 77th, respectively, overpay for internet access too. In comparison to Nepal and Bangladesh, India's index is higher by 271% and 416%, respectively.

"With regard to internet access, the Internet Value Index allows examining whether we actually get what we pay for. Even economically developed nations with reasonably quick internet can overcharge compared to other nations, "explains Agneska Sablovskaja, Surfshark's Lead Researcher. However, some countries can have slower internet but pay a much lower price, which is then regarded as fair.

Eastern Asia has the highest internet value among the five Asian regions. In Asia, 4 out of 10 people have affordable access to the internet compared to the rest of the area. Southern Asia does the worst out of the five Asian subregions. Its index is 79% lower than the average for all of Asia. Every country in Southern and Central Asia pays too much for internet access because their internet value indices are lower than the norm for the region. With the best internet value index in Asia, Israel leads the way, followed by Singapore and South Korea.

Eastern Asia performs the best of the five Asian subregions, with an index 64.5% higher than the Asian average. On the other hand, Yemen has Asia's lowest internet value index, while Pakistan and Tajikistan are two of the three lowest-ranked Asian nations.

Almost 78% of Europeans pay reasonable fees for their internet service. Denmark leads the continent with an index that is approximately four times higher than the norm for Europe, closely followed by France. Bosnia & Herzegovina, Albania, and North Macedonia, the three nations with the lowest rankings, are all found in southern Europe.

Seven out of ten people in North America can afford to access the internet. Regarding online value, the United States does better than Canada. None of the nations that make up the Caribbean subregion has internet values above average. Around 59% of South Americans pay a fair amount for internet service. Regarding internet value, Chile leads South America, followed by Uruguay and Brazil.

The internet value index for Oceania is 2.5 times higher than the average for the world. New Zealand came in at number 25, with Australia taking the fifth spot globally.

Methodology

The Internet Value Index (IVi), based on fixed broadband internet and mobile internet speed-to-affordability ratios, is used in this study to rank 117 nations and territories. Four pillars directly impact the quality-to-affordability aspect: 1) How many work hours are required to afford fixed broadband internet (hours). 2) How long it will take to save up for mobile internet (hours). 3) Median download speed via fixed broadband (Mbps). 4) Average download speed for mobile devices (Mbps).