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Comment by Zombieball | Hacker News Reader

Semi-related anecdote: I just visited Poland for my first time, and what shocked me the most (aside from how cheap beer is compared to Canada) is the cost of cellular data:

5 złoty for a SIM card with 1GB of data (approx. $1.36 USD / $1.79 CAD). 10 złoty for 3GB. Incredible!

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I'm Polish and seeing the prices in Germany was my first small culture shock. :) 20 euro for a mere 1GB that doesn't work more often than it does, ridiculous.

Also, what's worse is that you have to give the cell company all your personal information before they let you use your sim card! How is that not scandalous to people here is beyond me.

> seeing the prices in Germany was my first small culture shock.

It's like being in a third world country. Hey Germans, my babcia in Poland has better mobile internet than you!

> How is that not scandalous to people here is beyond me.

And yet they love to brag how important the privacy is and how they do protect it.

Well, for 29 zloty a month you can get 5 GB, unlimited calls, SMS and MMS :) But note average net salary in Poland is about 700 EUR, so it might not be as cheap for citizens as you expect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_European_countries_by_...

For additional 20 zloty on top of my normal plan I get unlimited LTE (i.e. about 100 GB with full speed, then it can slow down).

During the summer, one of the telcos offered special plan where you got 6GB for 6 PLN ($1.6 USD). I think another telco actually followed and is now offering similar plan (1GB - 1PLN). The competition is very strong and cellular service is actually very affordable.

There is strong competition in that sector, hence the prices.

Yeah, we could use more of it (competition) in the "free market" in the US.

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