The A4AI Affordability Report
The Affordability Report represents part of our ongoing efforts to measure progress toward affordable internet.
Theme Affordability
Affordability Report 2021
The 2021 Affordability Report, released in December 2021, takes stock of connectivity trends today to suggest a new future for Universal Service & Access Funds. It builds from broader theories of industrial policy — namely the ‘moonshot thinking’ that relates to the public-private partnerships that sent the first human beings to the moon — to re-examine the shortcomings of USAFs today and propose new ways forward for these institutions.
Affordability Report 2019
competition, bring down prices and expand internet access.
Affordability Report 2020
The 2020 Affordability Report looks at the state of policy progress to bring down the cost of internet access and points to the importance of effective national broadband plans (NBPs) in providing the conditions for internet prices to decline.
Affordability Report 2018
The report assesses the policy frameworks designed to advance affordable internet access across 61 low- and middle-income countries.
Affordability Report 2017
The 2017 Affordability Report looks at the policy frameworks in place across 58 low- and middle-income countries to determine what changes countries have made to drive prices down and expand access — and what areas they should focus on to enable affordable connectivity for all.
Affordability Report 2014
This year’s study covers 51 developing and emerging countries. It also contains a roadmap for achieving affordable Internet, with more than 30 detailed policy recommendations for governments, businesses and not-for-profits. We believe it will prove an invaluable resource for all those working in this arena.
Device Pricing 2021
Following our publication of From Luxury to Lifeline in 2020, this is A4AI’s second data collection on device prices and the first with global coverage. It’s the world’s largest open dataset on mobile device prices, with indications of the cheapest new smartphone and feature phone from a major mobile network operator in 187 countries.
Affordability of ICT services 2020
Measuring five price baskets for ICT services across 207 countries, this data and analysis provides a global and regional view of the cost to use the internet and the progress needed to make internet services more affordable so that everyone can afford to connect.
From luxury to lifeline: Reducing the cost of mobile devices to reach universal internet access
This report surveys the cost of devices in 70 countries with a combined population of over five billion people. In addition to price, we look at how affordable devices are by calculating their price relative to the average income of a country.
The impact of taxation on internet affordability: the case of Benin
In September 2018, the Benin government proposed a tax on over-the-top services. The proposed tax was two-fold: a 5% tax on the pre-tax price for voice, SMS and internet services and a 5 CFA fee per MB for data used to access social media and OTTs.
Improving Mobile Broadband Quality of Service in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
The report provides the first set of publicly available data around upload and download speeds from across 54 low- and middle-income countries.