A Japanese government survey has found that mobile phone rates in Seoul are the highest among major cities worldwide.
According to a report released on the 27th by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications titled "Survey on Domestic and International Price Differences in Telecommunication Services," Seoul's 4G and 5G communication fees are the highest when compared with six major cities: Tokyo, New York, London, Paris, and Düsseldorf.
Comparing consumer payments by data usage volume among the number-one market share carriers in each country, Seoul SK Telecom's consumer payment for a 20GB (gigabyte) monthly 4G plan was 6,916 yen (approximately 59,760 won), the highest among all surveyed targets. This amount exceeds Verizon in New York (6,684 yen) and Telefónica UK in London (3,259 yen).
Even when increasing data usage to 50GB, Seoul's communication costs remained the highest. For a monthly 50GB 4G plan, Seoul's communication fee was 6,916 yen, followed by Düsseldorf (6,732 yen), New York (6,684 yen), and Tokyo (4,954 yen).
Based on unlimited data plans, Seoul recorded 8,754 yen (approximately 75,642 won), which is lower than Düsseldorf (11,450 yen) and Tokyo (9,332 yen), but still higher than New York and London.
A comparison of consumer payments among the third- or fourth-place market share carriers in the six target countries also revealed that LG Uplus in Korea maintains a high payment level.
Consumer payments for both 4G and 5G plans were second-highest across all data tiers: 20GB, 50GB, and 100GB. For unlimited data plans, the fee was 6,350 yen (approximately 54,869 won), the most expensive among all options.
The data volumes referenced in this survey are based on plan specifications and do not reflect actual consumer data usage.
in TECH
