Mexicans buy less mobile data

At the end of 2023, Mexicans spent an average of 155.4 pesos for a mobile recharge, which means a reduction of 11.9%, compared to the 176.5 pesos they spent in 2020, revealed data from the National Survey on Availability and Use of Information Technologies in Homes (ENDUTIH).

This situation was also reflected in telephone plans. At the end of last year, users paid 439.6 pesos for this service, a reduction of 11.7% compared to the 498.3 pesos that consumers paid in 2020.

Radamés Camargo, an analyst at the consultancy The Ciu, explained that the decrease in spending on mobile services may be associated with the new unlimited data offers that telecommunications operators have launched in the last four years.

Telcel, AT&T and Telefónica have launched telephone plans based mainly on a basket of unlimited data at a lower price, while the Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) have brought this offer to telephone recharges. The purpose of the strategy is to attract and retain their subscriber base, since the pandemic has changed people’s consumption habits, where they have now begun to prioritize spending only on certain essential products.

“The unlimited data offers offered by MVNOs and large operators have now become a great attraction for users because they have translated into accessing more data for a lower price and it is a perception that exists out there that now you pay less for a service that you use more and more,” says the analyst in an interview.

Added to this factor is the hybrid work model, i.e. where users connect through home and office networks, and even open networks that have been enabled in recent years, which brings with it a lower need for data spending.

Both premises are reinforced by users. Eduardo S. explained to this newspaper that last year he acquired a telephone plan with unlimited data to access all his social networks for which he pays 490 pesos a month. But he has discovered that the amount of data that his company has enabled for him is excessive and now he is looking to move to a cheaper plan.

“I have realized that I never use up all my data because I am always connected at the office or at home and I am not sure if the megabytes I have left at the end of the month accumulate or simply disappear. This has made me think that I will change to a cheaper plan now that the year is up or even cancel the contract,” Eduardo S. said in an interview.

Something similar happens with Tere Hernández. She is a user of the prepaid segment. She pays a 100 pesos recharge to her phone every month, but in the last year she has seen “that there is no need to spend so much on recharges,” because she has discovered that the 50 pesos recharges come with a “good” amount of mobile data.

“That data bag lasts me a long time and I have supplemented it with open networks on the streets or with the internet at work. I don’t think I need to spend so much on recharges to stay connected,” Tere tells Expansión.