Average revenue per mobile user (ARPU) per sim card 2015-2020, by country

French telecommunication companies generated 22 U.S. dollars in average revenue per user (ARPU) in the third quarter of 2020, nine U.S. dollars more than their German counterparts. This is much higher than in other nations depicted, such as India, where ARPU has remained at two U.S. dollars since the third quarter of 2017. However, Canada had the highest ARPU out of the selected countries with an average revenue of 37 U.S. dollars per user.

ARPU highest in the United States

While ARPU is higher in Canada, France, Australia and Germany than many of the other countries depicted, the European average falls well below levels seen in the United States, where ARPU reached 36.9 euros in 2019. AT&T recorded an ARPU of 49.13 U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2021, with customers subscribed on a postpaid contract.

ARPU: Prepaid and Postpaid

The ARPU mobile wireless service providers can expect to generate depends greatly on the type of service the customer subscribes to. Postpaid subscribers are generally more lucrative, in many cases bringing in more than double the ARPU of a prepaid subscriber. Telefónica, for example, generates an average of six euros per prepaid user in Germany, and 13.6 euros per postpaid customer. The difference is starker in the United Kingdom (UK), where Telefónica generates an average of 7.5 euros per prepaid customer, and 22.1 euros per postpaid user.