Nigerians overpay for internet —Report

By Bode Adewumi

SURFSHARK recently released the Global Internet Value Index (IVi), which uncovers countries that are overpaying for their internet connection plan.

Nigeria is in 109th place in the world with an index 44 times lower than the global average.

Oceania and Europe lead the world in internet value, while internet affordability in North America, South America and Africa is below average.

Globally, only four out of 10 people get their internet at fair prices, while the remaining 61 percent overpay for internet they get.

Global Internet Value index (IVi) is calculated by dividing each country’s internet speed by internet affordability to determine which countries are overpaying for their internet.

According to Surfshark’s data, Nigeria ranks 109th globally with an index of 0.0017, which is 44 times lower than the global average, meaning Nigerians are overpaying for the internet they get compared to other countries worldwide.

In terms of regional position, Nigeria ranks 16th with an index of 56 per cent lower than Africa’s average.

Nigeria is in 12th place in sub-Saharan Africa. Countries like South Africa and Ghana rank 70th and 105th respectively; both overpaying for the internet they get.

Nigeria has a 90 percent lower index compared to South Africa and 26 percent lower index compared to Ghana.

“Internet Value index offers to look at internet connection from a practical perspective – whether we get what we pay for. Even economically affluent countries with relatively fast internet can overpay compared to others worldwide,” Agneska Sablovskaja, Lead Researcher at Surfshark said.

“However, some countries may have lower internet but also pay a considerably lower price, which is then considered fair,” she added.

Comparing internet value in Africa, four out of every 10 people can access the internet at a fair price. South Africa remains the outright leader, with Egypt ranking second, followed by Morocco. While the top-ranking African country, South Africa, is part of the sub-Saharan Africa subregion, the Northern Africa subregion performs better overall, with the average index of its four countries being two times higher than sub-Saharan Africa’s.

All Northern African countries have above-average internet value, while only one in four percent sub-Saharan African countries do.

Zimbabwe and Uganda are the lowest-ranking African countries, followed closely by Cameroon.

Four out of 10 people in Asia can access the internet at a fair price compared to the rest of the region. Israel takes the lead in Asia with the best internet value index, followed by Singapore and South Korea.

Seventy eight percent of European people get their internet at fair prices. Denmark takes the lead in Europe with an index nearly four times higher than the European average, closely followed by France. The three lowest-ranking countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and North Macedonia, are all located in Southern Europe.

In North America, seven out of every 10 individuals can access the internet at a fair price. The United States outperforms Canada regarding internet value.

READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE