FG-CostingData (FG-CD)
The pricing of data is complex, and market driven. The costs involved in managing the lengthy supply chain to provide Internet are being recovered predominantly by directly charging the customers. There is a need to have a focused study on the pricing mechanisms and how the cost recovery should be articulated.
The ITU-T Focus Group CostingData was established under ITU-T Study Group 3 on 10th March 2023. The Focus Group analyzed the supply-chain of telecom/ICT, the multiple cost models and pricing strategies used for mobile data services and Internet services and study the policy, economic, regulatory and standardization aspects related to cost models for affordable data services, including best practices of cost assessment methodologies and economic models.
FG-CostingData provided a collaborative platform for studying and exploring the various costing models for providing affordable data services. It also acted as a platform for dialogue, for identifying stakeholders with whom ITU-T could collaborate, and for enabling the inclusion of non-members to contribute to the technical pre-standardization work. FG CD developed six deliverables.
FG CD completed its work on 1 October 2025 and submitted its deliverables to its Parent Group.
Parent Group: ITU-T Study Group 3