Tariff Consultancy Releases Mobile Cloud Storage Pricing Analysis

Tariff Consultancy Ltd., a fixed and mobile pricing analyst, recently released its latest survey, labeled the “Mobile Cloud Storage Tracker and Analysis Service.” This survey is the latest in Tariff Consultancy's portfolio of pricing services and it takes a dive into the mobile cloud storage market, which has been growing at a tremendous rate.

While it focuses chiefly on Europe, the survey takes note of mobile cloud storage pricing all over the world from various mobile network operators (MNOs). It defines mobile cloud storage service as a service that provides virtual storage through the Internet in an interface that could be accessed through a dedicated Web portal on any mobile device.

Mobile cloud storage has turned into a booming sector in the IT industry, rising in popularity as smartphones became more popular and users needed extra virtual space that's accessible on multiple devices. The ability to synchronize data through multiple devices has become the most paramount part of having access to cloud storage, and services have been hard at work to try to provide as much space as possible. As a result, cloud storage has been handed out like free candy in all directions. Hard drives consistently get cheaper and chips are more accessible than they were previously.

The survey has found that pricing for bundled mobile cloud storage (cellular calls, SMS, and data w/cloud storage) has been anywhere from $19.67 to $262 per month. The average price is $79, which includes unlimited calling and SMS, as well as up to 10 GB of data every month. A typical plan will range from $61 to $80 per month.

Unbundled mobile cloud storage is much cheaper, at prices from $1 to $5 per month. Fifteen of the offers found by the survey were actually free of charge, while the average price across the board was $4.8 per month.