The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday edition that as households struggle with the largest bout of inflation in four decades, Statistics Canada says consumers are getting some relief from what is often a source of frustration: cellphone bills. The Globe's Matt Lundy and Alexandra Posadzki writes that in 2023, cell-service prices plunged by 27 per cent, according to Statscan's consumer price index. This trend has been playing out for a while, with wireless prices down 50 per cent over five years. The federal government has pointed to these figures as proof that its efforts to lower wireless prices -- a pledge in the 2019 election campaign -- are working. However, the truth of what is happening to cell bills is more complex. Every month, workers at the agency visit wireless companies' websites to record the advertised prices of their plans. They do not have access to data on what Canadians actually spend on their cellphone plans from month to month. As a result, Statscan's index for cellular services is supposed to reflect the average price change that consumers would face if they resubscribed to the same or similar plans with their providers. It does not reflect the average actual change in people's cellphone bills.