The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) indicated that the mobile-cellular basket price in Lebanon was equivalent to 2.32% of the country's gross national income (GNI) per capita in 2017, or about $16.1 per month, relative to an average of about 4% of GNI per capita in Arab countries. The mobile-cellular basket covers the cost of a standard 30 outgoing calls per month at predetermined rates, plus 100 SMS messages. The cost of mobile-cellular basket in Lebanon was the 84th highest among 181 economies globally and the ninth highest among 20 Arab countries with available figures. Lebanon's mobile-cellular basket price was also the 25th highest among 51 upper middle-income countries (UMICs) included in the survey. The UAE has the cheapest mobile-cellular service among Arab countries at 0.19% of GNI per capita per month, while Mauritania has the most expensive such service in the region at 19.11% of GNI per capita per month.

In parallel, the cost of prepaid handset-based mobile broadband service in Lebanon was equivalent to 1.44% of the GNI per capita in Lebanon, or about $10 per month in 2017. The cost covers an entry-level mobile-broadband subscription with a validity of 30 days, with a minimum of 500 Megabytes of data volume allowance that is used through handheld devices such as a mobile phones or tablets. The cost of the service in Lebanon was the 90th highest globally, the 28th highest among 50 UMICs and the 11th highest among Arab countries. Qatar has the least expensive prepaid handset-based mobile broadband service among Arab countries at 0.32% of GNI per capita, while Mauritania has the most expensive such service in the region at 33.2% of GNI per capita per month.