Two new reports have shed light on Wi-Fi usage in the UK that show it is rising faster than cellular, despite reports from EE that 4G LTE is the preferred choice of the two.
Earlier this month, the UK operator released its latest 4GEE Media Living Index, which reported that customers increasingly favoured LTE connections over Wi-Fi.
The study, which used subscriber network data and an independent survey of 1,000 4GEE customers, went on to claim that 54 percent were using fewer or no public Wi-Fi services since signing up for LTE services.Â
However, information released by Mobidia Technology on Thursday concluded that Wi-Fi usage by EE, O2 and Vodafone 4G customers had actually increased.Â
The mobile data analyst firm also found that EE’s 4G customers used around 7,000 megabytes per month when connected to Wi-Fi, compared to just over 1,000 megabytes per month over the 4G network.
Mobidia said its results were based on data from over 60,000 users on the UK’s three biggest networks.
The conflicting results suggest that while many users said they preferred 4G to Wi-Fi, they were still using Wi-Fi for the majority of network tasks.Â
Such instances could occur when there was no 4G connection immediately available, for example.
Similarly, users are often able to set device parameters that ensure large updates are only downloaded whilst connected to a Wi-Fi network, thereby avoiding excessive data fees. Â Â
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