Here's Why Americans Pay More for LTE Service

It's not because it's faster.

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Earlier this year, a study by the New American Foundation found that cities in Asia and Europe had faster and cheaper broadband Internet service than the U.S. Now, a new study by Wireless Intelligence shows that Americans also pay more for wireless mobile broadband.

Wireless Intelligence, the research arm of the GSM Association, discovered that Verizon Wireless, one of the first companies to provide LTE service in the U.S., charges $7.50 per gigabyte of data downloaded while the European average is around $2.50 per gigabyte.

What gives?

According to Wireless Intelligence analyst Calbum Dewar, who spoke to the New York Times regarding the study, there are two main reasons:

1. Difference of cultures. "First, U.S. operators like Verizon sell LTE as part of a larger mobile package," said Dewar, "whereas European operators increasingly sell it as a stand-alone service at a lower price."

2. Lack of competition. Where as the U.S. has barely a handful of wireless companies that offer LTE service, Europe has 38.

There you have it. Though, if you're looking to save some coin, Brenda Raney, a Verizon Wireless spokeswoman, said that if you get a data-only LTE plan with Big Red, that number will drop to $5.50. 

[via NYT]

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