Tokyo's monthly mobile phone data service fee for 20 gigabytes is the second lowest among six major cities in the world, a government survey showed Tuesday, following sharp price cuts by Japanese wireless carriers under government pressure.
The cost of the service in Tokyo from a representative provider was 2,973 yen ($27) per month in the latest survey conducted in March, higher only than London's 2,166 yen. In the previous survey conducted last year, the Japanese capital saw the highest rate, at 8,175 yen.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications compared the price of the most reasonable large data plans provided by wireless carriers with the leading share in six major cities -- Tokyo, New York, London, Dusseldorf, Paris, and Seoul.
The German city offered the highest rate of 8,325 yen in the latest survey.
NTT Docomo Inc.'s discounted plan "ahamo" launched in late March was selected to represent Tokyo in the latest survey.
For 2-gigabyte and 5-gigabyte plans, the Japanese capital offered the third lowest monthly service fee after London and Paris at 2,973 yen, the same price as the "ahamo" 20-gigabyte plan.
NTT Docomo's rivals KDDI Corp., the operator of the "au" brand, and SoftBank Corp. also launched their own discounted large data plans in March after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga repeatedly demanded mobile service operators cut fees.
Related coverage:
NTT Docomo lowers 20-gigabyte monthly mobile plan to 2,700 yen
KDDI to offer cheapest plan for large data amid gov't pressure
SoftBank unveils lower data usage fees amid gov't pressure
