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Wireless prices are declining across the board,bucking inflation trends and allowing consumersto spend more elsewhere. Key Findings The Affordability Tracker shows mobile service plans are getting cheaper: Real prices for unlimited service plans declined by over 10 percent last year and aredown by 35 percent over the last five years. The wireless industry provides prepaid plans for every budget: Real prices for affordable prepaid plans declined by 2.6 percent last year and aredown by over 51 percent over the last five years. Government data confirm wireless delivers growing value for American consumers: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows the overall real cost of wireless service declined6.6 percent last year and is down more than 41 percent over the last ten years. The CPI also shows the real cost of smartphones declined 12.2 percent last year and63.4 percent over the last five years. More affordable wireless lets consumers spend more elsewhere: The average wireless bill represents only 1.7 percent of Americans’ spending, and thatshare has shrunk over 15 percent since 2020. Wireless users get more for less: Wireless offers faster speeds, more data, and better service while prices decline.Last year alone, wireless download speeds got 51 percent faster, and Americans used The effective price per gigabyte of mobile data dropped by over 21 percent last yearand is down 40 percent over the last two years. The wireless industry is a proud success story of innovation and competitiondelivering ever-better services for less money. This Affordability Tracker examinesprices for the typical unlimited wireless service plans as well as more affordableprepaid options. Adjusted for inflation, real prices for unlimited plans are down10.7 percent last year and down 34.9 percent in the last five years.1Real prices for These trends are consistent with data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),which shows the real cost of wireless service dropped 6.6 percent last year.3This contrasts with rising prices across other industries. BLS reports the overallConsumer Price Index (CPI) up 2.7 percent last year. These declining prices give consumers the option to spend more elsewhere.Wireless bills now represent only 1.7 percent of average household spending, and Wireless customers also get more for less. Just last year, download speedson wireless networks got 51 percent faster, and Americans used over 32 percent These consumer-friendly trends are the product of intense competition amongwireless providers, which consumers witness every day in advertisements vyingfor their business, innovative service offerings, enhanced coverage, increasednetwork reliability, and faster speeds. Wireless is bringing this competition to homebroadband as well with new 5G-based fixed wireless service. Over 2025, there were The data consistently show steadily decreasing wireless prices and growingoutput, highlighting that the fundamental framework of wireless competition is Wireless Plans Are Getting Cheaper There are a wide variety of service plans tailored to meet different consumerneeds. CTIA’s Affordability Tracker examines two types of plans: postpaidunlimited plans and prepaid options. Both show real price declines over thelast year and longer term. Real prices are inflation-adjusted to better reflect This typical unlimited plan reflects the average price of a postpaid, single-lineunlimited plan from the major, nationwide operators. Many consumers purchasefamily plans, with steep discounts for multiple bundled lines, allowing for much Most U.S. mobile users subscribe to a postpaid plan, contracting for regular monthlyservice and paying at the end of each billing cycle. Prepaid service plans, on theother hand, require payment upfront for a set term of service. Prepaid is a key marketsegment focused on providing affordable options for cost-conscious consumers. The inflation-adjusted cost of more affordable prepaid options is down 2.6percent last year and down 51.7 percent over the last 5 years. If you’re simplylooking for basic connectivity at the lowest price, it is now possible to get mobilebroadband for less than $10 a month. For example, Tello Mobile offers 2 gigabytesof high-speed data for $8 per month.9US Mobile offers a similar plan for $10 Prepaid service helps create price points that are affordable to more Americanconsumers. And there is a great deal of affordable options to choose from. Allthe major wireless operators have multiple prepaid plan options, and virtualnetwork operators catering to more economical customers offer still more choice.Today, there are over two hundred different service providers offering thousands Government Data Confirms WirelessPrice Declines, Fighting Inflation BLS tracks changes to prices for wireless telephone services on a monthly basis,using household survey data to weight service plans in their model and conducting BLS found the nominal cost of wireless service dropped by over 4