Wireless service prices can fall on a national measure while your own phone bill stays high or rises. The key is that the measure tracks eligible cellular service plans—not every charge on a household bill—and it does not include monthly device payments. Taxes, surcharges, plan features, line count, and promotion eligibility also affect what you pay.
What the wireless price measure actually tracks
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes a U.S. consumer price index for personal wireless cellular service. It covers eligible service plans, generally those combining voice and text with data. Charges normally included in a plan count, but monthly carrier charges for a device do not. Business plans and data-only plans are excluded. The index measures price movement across a defined market; it is not a measure of any one customer’s complete bill. BLS explains the category and its exclusions.
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Beginning with the July 2025 indexes, released in August 2025, BLS changed how it estimates wireless prices. Its method uses a broad set of plan offers, plan characteristics, and expenditure data, and adjusts for differences in plan features and quality. The data include major network operators and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), as well as prepaid options, data amounts, and hotspot allowances. BLS says prices are most often offers to new customers or existing customers upgrading; some grandfathered plans are also represented. Eligible discounts, including autopay and multi-line discounts, may be reflected. Device charges and device-related promotions are excluded. The BLS methodology describes the updated approach.
What recent price reports say—and what they do not
CTIA, a wireless-industry trade association, reported in its 2026 Wireless Affordability Tracker that inflation-adjusted prices for postpaid unlimited plans fell nearly 35% over five years, and that prepaid options also had real-price declines. CTIA also said the effective price per gigabyte of mobile data fell by more than 21% in 2025. These are industry-reported measures, not BLS findings; the per-gigabyte figure describes data value, not a household’s monthly bill. Read CTIA’s 2026 tracker.
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Those results can coexist with an unchanged or higher bill. A lower inflation-adjusted price for a plan category does not mean every customer’s nominal monthly payment falls: the customer may have a different plan, may use a promotion the measure does not capture in the same way, or may be paying for a financed phone and other charges outside the service-price category.
Why your bill may still feel pricey
Device payments are outside the service measure
If you are paying off a handset through monthly installments, that amount can make your combined bill substantially higher than the service-plan price tracked by BLS. Separate the device payment from the service charge before comparing your bill with a plan price or national trend.
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Taxes and surcharges add to the advertised service price
Tax Foundation estimates that taxes, fees, and government surcharges averaged 28.8% of a typical wireless bill in 2026, with substantial variation by state. Its figure is a national estimate based on its calculation for taxable wireless services; it should not be treated as the exact share of every customer’s all-in bill. As a modeled example, Tax Foundation says a four-phone household paying $100 per month for taxable wireless services would pay about $345 per year in taxes, fees, and government surcharges. See Tax Foundation’s 2026 estimate and state breakdown.
For context, Tax Foundation put the corresponding share of the average wireless services bill at 27.60% in 2025. That is a dated estimate, not a prediction that a particular customer’s charges rose by the same amount. See the 2025 analysis.
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Your price may not match a promotional offer
Some prices depend on autopay, multiple lines, new-customer status, or upgrading. BLS can account for eligible promotions in its index, but that does not mean every existing subscriber qualifies for every advertised deal. Check the conditions and the price after any introductory or conditional discount before comparing offers.
Plans and households are not interchangeable
Line count, prepaid or postpaid service, included high-speed data, hotspot allowance, and whether a plan is grandfathered all affect the comparison. A price for one line with limited data is not a like-for-like substitute for a multi-line plan with a larger data allowance. More data for the same monthly charge may improve value without reducing the amount you pay.
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- Please note, this device does not support E-SIM; This 4G model is compatible with all GSM networks worldwide outside of the U.S. In the US, ONLY compatible with T-Mobile and their MVNO's (Metro and Standup). It will NOT work with Verizon, Spectrum, AT&T, Total Wireless, other CDMA carriers, it is also not compatible with their MVNO (Visible, Xfinity Mobile, US Mobile, Cricket Wireless, etc).
- Compatibility with certain third-party devices and accessibility accessories, including some hearing aids, may vary depending on manufacturer support, Bluetooth protocols, software compatibility, and regional firmware limitations. For additional hearing aid compatibility information, please refer to Samsung’s official support documentation.
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How to check whether your bill is actually high
- Separate the charges. On your bill, identify the service-plan charge, device installments, taxes and surcharges, and optional add-ons. Keep one-time charges separate from recurring charges.
- Compare the same household setup. Use the same number of lines and similar data and hotspot needs. Check whether your current service is prepaid or postpaid and whether any lines are on older plans.
- Read the offer conditions. Note whether a quoted price requires autopay, multiple lines, new-customer status, or another promotion. Compare the recurring cost you can actually receive, not just the headline price.
- Check alternatives for your locations. Compare prepaid, postpaid, and MVNO plans against the coverage and service your household needs at home, work, and other regular destinations. A national price trend cannot establish which option works best at a particular address.
- Compare total recurring outlay. Add service, recurring fees, and taxes for the same set of lines; show device payments separately so they do not obscure the service comparison.
There is no single cause established for every customer’s bill, and national reports cannot diagnose an individual account. CTIA President and CEO Ajit Pai called wireless “one of the great consumer success stories of our time” in an April 2026 release; that is an industry representative’s view, not an independent finding about what any household pays. Read CTIA’s April 2026 release.
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