Telecompaper publishes EU Benchmark 2013, comparison of mobile consumer postpaid plans in Western Europe

Houten, The Netherlands, 13 December 2013 – Telecompaper has published its EU Benchmark 2013 report, in which over 2,600 mobile consumer postpaid plans across 11 countries in Western Europe have been compared. These include the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France. The report has been prepared in co-operation with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. As discussions on international roaming have brought the issue of pricing differences in (and beyond) Europe into the spotlight, Telecompaper researched in which countries the average consumer is paying more or less for mobile communications.

The research team has included all MNOs, second brands where relevant and two MVNOs who acquired spectrum. Data was collected during July and August in 2013 from the providers’ websites. The team has assumed an ‘average’ consumer who is looking for a postpaid plan with either a handset in three categories or alternatively for a SIM-only postpaid plan.

Telecompaper decided not to base the comparison on predefined baskets, as it is impossible to select a range of baskets that covers the various types of usage in each country. Instead, a matrix was built based on common features in the packages available on the market. To account for more than just the headline cost of minutes and megabytes a total cost of ownership (TCO) approach has been used, which amongst others includes promotions and the cost of handsets.

Based on this research, it appears that some countries are relatively cheap on all levels, for example Austria, Denmark and Sweden. Others, mostly Spain, appear to be relatively expensive. Pricing in several countries showed mixed results, such as the UK (albeit in most cases cheaper than the median) and Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands (generally more expensive, but still with some markedly cheaper options).

It is important to note that our detailed analysis precludes simple conclusions, beyond the observation that Austria is generally a cheap place and Spain is generally an expensive place for mobile. One factor in play here is that we analysed headline pricing and available subscriptions, not what end-users factually subscribe to or end up paying each month. Also, we have assumed an ‘average’ consumer and hence focused on median pricing for each combination of minutes and megabytes. This leaves room for consumers focusing merely on price to find a better deal than this median price point. And since the lowest available TCOs are much closer aligned between the countries than the median TCOs, this is especially relevant.

Detailed results can be found in the full report. The price for business users is EUR 5,900. Corporate users pay EUR 7,900, which includes the excel of plans and plan details.

Telecompaper

Telecompaper is an independent research company. We publish the latest information about the global telecom industry and provide our international customers with need-to-know information and market insight via news feeds, newsletters, research and advisory services. Telecompaper has its main office in Houten (the Netherlands). The company was established in June 2000.  “EU Benchmark 2013” is a research product from Telecompaper.