Internet subscribers in Bermuda are paying on average four times more for web access than consumers in other developed countries, according to the latest figures.

An annual survey conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which did not include Bermuda, found the most expensive average Internet connection to be in Mexico - at $26 for a megabit per second. Next was Luxembourg, with subscribers in the tiny European country paying on average $19.86 per Mbit/s.

However, according to local technology website Discover Tech, the average monthly charge in Bermuda is $104.68. Discover Tech says this figure includes two components. The first is the advertised monthly rate charged by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The second is the rate charged by so-called "broadband access providers", such as Bermuda CableVision, with its fibre-optic network, or the Bermuda Telephone Company, which offers DSL. The price of this component varies considerably.

The survey found the highest monthly price on the Island to be $119.09 and the lowest $88.95. Some ISPs have in the past attributed high costs of broadband here to the Island's isolation, and the high rates charged by carrier services for use of under-sea cables.

Representatives from the three local ISPs were not available for comment yesterday.

By the numbers

Average monthly broadband cost per Mbit/s:

Bermuda: $104.68 (according to Discover Tech website)

Mexico: $26.03

Luxembourg: $19.86

Canada: $11.85

United States: $8.06

Germany: $5.89

United Kingdom: $2.12

South Korea: $1.30