As per a new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), Apple not only manufactures some of the most expensive smartphones in the world, but it also somehow entices iPhone users to have the highest phone bill in the US. Yes, iPhone users have the highest phone bills in the US. According to the statistics mentioned in the report, iPhone users pay relatively higher cell phone bills on average than all other smartphone users, as 60% of iPhone users spend over $100 per month on their cell phone bills whereas 10% spend $200 or more. On the other hand, only 53% of Android users pay $100 or more per month with 7% paying $200 or more. When it comes to Windows Phones, 56% of users pay over $100 every month in phone bills.
According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, this spending has less to do with the usage habits of smartphone users:
“We think it has to do with their data plans and carriers, rather than their usage habits. They are all on expensive data plans, unlike Android users, some of which are on prepaid or unsubsidized plans with regional carriers.”
The findings, in fact, are not really surprising for many people because of the well-known fact that the two largest wireless telecom providers in the United States i.e. Verizon and AT&T also charge their users the most. Plans on Verizon usually start at $100 per month with the provision of the line access for $40 and 2 GB of data for $60 while AT&T starts its individual customer plans at $60 per month and provides $40 for 450 minutes and $20 for 300 MB of data with the inclusion of no text messages.
Figures of the last year’s report from October to December 2011, however, were quite different as at that time only 6% of iPhone users were paying bills less than $50 whereas comparatively, a higher percentage (13%) of Android users were paying less than $50 bills.
The iPhone, when given a higher subsidy, will resultantly eat into operators’ profit margins. Carriers are charging more for iPhones but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are making more money from users. The iPhone has been given higher grants than other smartphones in its class as a result carriers offer more expensive plans to make some money from their iPhone users – which is less than what they make through Android smartphones.
The iPhone users who are paying less than $50 phone bills are most probably carrying prepaid connections or they are using some family plans that allow them to get such low bills.
