Video drives mobile data usage up 73%
February 9, 2011
Allot Communications MobileTrends Report shows that mobile data bandwidth usage continued its phenomenal rise with 73 per cent growth during the second half (H2) of 2010. Video streaming continues to drive this growth as it remains the fastest growing application type, accounting for 37 per cent of mobile bandwidth.
The H2 2010 MobileTrends Report reveals that YouTube is responsible for 17 per cent of mobile data bandwidth usage and continues as the single most significant website for video streaming, accounting for 45 per cent of total video streaming traffic. The report also shows the continued exponential growth experienced by social networking applications such as Twitter and Facebook, which grew by 378 per cent and 267 per cent, respectively, underlining the natural synergy that exists between social media and the mobile Internet. The use of VoIP and IM applications also continued to grow rapidly with an 87 per cent increase, demonstrating their ongoing appeal for subscribers.
This Allot MobileTrends Report also reveals that Google’s Android Market lags far behind Apple’s App Store with only 9 per cent of the overall app store download traffic. However, its rapid 177 per cent growth rate may influence this balance in the near future.
“Our MobileTrends findings demonstrate that mobile operators must understand the value that over-the-top applications provide to users rather than just focus on the amount of bandwidth they consume,” said Rami Hadar, President and CEO of Allot Communications. “As networks move towards 4G/LTE and convergence, understanding this value is likely to become even more critical as operators will be expected to provide a more enriched and personalized experience for their users.”