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The Mysterious Cross-Country Dispersion in Mobile Phone Price Trends Accessible Data

Figure 1: Mobile Phone Consumer Price Indexes by Country

Log index level. 2012 = 100

Year Australia Canada China France Germany Italy Japan Korea New Zealand United Kingdom United States Finland
2008 4.681   5.037 5.355 4.975   4.556 4.879 5.549   4.842 5.174
2009 4.671   4.909 5.163 4.906   4.731 4.804 5.419   4.8 4.988
2010 4.639   4.945 4.951 4.817   4.708 4.746 5.222   4.746 4.861
2011 4.61 4.663 4.777 4.767 4.659 4.828 4.669 4.667 4.929 4.909 4.681 4.745
2012 4.605 4.605 4.605 4.605 4.605 4.605 4.605 4.605 4.605 4.605 4.605 4.605
2013 4.598 4.538 4.511 4.421 4.532 4.512 4.562 4.562 4.333 4.328 4.54 4.434
2014 4.562 4.453 4.435 4.182 4.446 4.325 4.575 4.516 4.033 3.996 4.454 4.26
2015 4.499 4.372 4.406 4.022 4.362 4.229 4.62 4.456 3.83 3.645 4.313 4.132
2016 4.412 4.291 4.447 3.898 4.301 4.266 4.621 4.449 3.669 3.328 4.186 3.967
2017 4.351 4.226 4.526 3.793 4.235 4.177 4.518 4.445 3.444 3.221 4.109 3.688
2018 4.286 4.154 4.561 3.693 4.169 4.049 4.526 4.441 3.27 3.065 4.027 3.464

Note: Mobile phone index divided by country overall consumer price index.

Source: National statistical institutes.

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Figure 2: Market Concentration vs. Mobile Phone CPI, 2008 - 2017

Country Herfindahl - Hirschman Index, Change 2008 - 2018 Mobile Phone CPI, 2008 - 2018
Australia -0.02 -1.9
Canada 0.18 -7
China 0.07 -3.2
France -0.07 -15.6
Germany -0.04 -6.9
Italy -0.04 -12.1
Japan 0.10 0.4
Korea 0.15 -3
New Zealand 0.04 -21.1
United Kingdom -0.03 -24.3
United States 0.10 -7

Note: HHI is sum of squared market share by company. Finland is omitted.

Source: National statistical institutes; author's calculations using IDC Research, Inc. data.

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Figure 3: Mobile Phone Subscriptions vs. CPI by Country, 2008 - 2017

Country Subscriptions per 100 Households, Change vs. 2008 Mobile Phone CPI, 2008 - 2018
Australia 9 -1.9
Canada 19.8 -7
China 56.9 -3.2
Finland 3.9 -16.4
France 13.2 -15.6
Germany -1.0 -6.9
Italy -10.5 -12.1
Japan 47.6 0.4
Korea 32.2 -3
New Zealand 28.0 -21.1
United Kingdom -1.1 -24.3
United States 35.9 -7

Note: Subscription data through 2017.

Source: National statistical institutes; World Bank World Development Indicators.

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Figure 4: Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices: Mobile Phones

Growth rate, annual average index

Country 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Belgium                                     -3%
Bulgaria                             -4% -3% -4% -6% -7%
Czechia                                 -5% -7% -7%
Denmark                         -3% -4% -5% -2% -3% -2% -3%
Germany                                 -1% 0% -1%
Estonia                                   -11% -11%
Ireland                                     -10%
Spain                                   -5% -9%
France   -12% -11% -14% -12% -10% -9% -9% -9% -8% -9% -8% -7% -8% -10% -7% -5% -5% -4%
Croatia                                   -2% -1%
Italy                       -7% -10% -4% -8% -4% 2% -4% -6%
Cyprus                                   -9% -7%
Latvia                                 -2% -2% -1%
Lithuania -8% -9% -7% -5% -5% -10% -7% -10% -11% -9% -2% -3% -3% -2% -3% -3% -5% -5% -4%
Luxembourg                                 -5% -4% -5%
Hungary                                 -4% -5% -4%
Malta                                   -9% -9%
Netherlands                       -2% -2% -5% -6% 6% -6% -10% -4%
Austria                               -6% -6% 4% -5%
Poland                                 -3% -5% -6%
Portugal                                   3% -1%
Romania                                     -2%
Slovenia     -8% -11% -5% -5% -4% -8% -8% -4% -5% -5% -3% -5% -7% -5% -3% -4% -7%
Slovakia                                   -2% -2%
Finland                                     -10%
Sweden                               -7% -10% -7% -6%
United Kingdom                                     0%
North Macedonia                                     1%
Serbia                                     -4%

Note: Mobile phone index divided by country HICP for all items.

Source: Eurostat.

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Last Update: August 05, 2019