The average volume of video traffic now stands at 50% of all data traffic, according to Bytemobile’s Mobile Analytics Report – February 2012. Bytemobile said a years ago mobile video traffic accounted for 40% of all traffic. In some networks video is now peaking at up to 69% of total traffic, the optimisation vendor said.
According to Bytemobile’s report, an iPad user generates three times the data traffic that an iPhone subscriber does. Also of note, mobile social networking is taking off, as smartphone users spend an average of 4.57 minutes per session on Twitter, 8.51 minutes per session on YouTube and 9.06 minutes per session on Facebook.
The report also shows that a majority of traffic generated by iOS devices – 83% – comes from just three native Apple sources – Media Player, Safari and App Store/iTunes, at 47%, 21% and 15%, respectively. Safari accounts for over 60% of transactions between the device and the network.
Android devices generate more advertising transactions and corresponding data volume on mobile networks than iOS devices. In addition, Google is far and away the most dominant source of mobile data traffic produced by advertisements, with an average of 75% of the total ad-generated data.
“Our latest Mobile Analytics Report substantiates anecdotal evidence that demand for mobile content continues to grow. As devices continue to get smarter – with faster processors, more memory and bigger, sharper screens – content consumption, particularly video, continues to grow aggressively,” said Chris Koopmans, chief operating officer, Bytemobile. “The report also demonstrates very clearly that carriers use optimization techniques to keep up with exploding traffic demand, while continuing to deliver a superior user experience.”
The findings in the Mobile Analytics Report are generated from Smart Capacity Mobile Analytics, Bytemobile’s mobile data traffic reporting solution. The Mobile Analytics Report anonymously sources data traffic statistics from the 3G and 4G networks of Bytemobile’s customer base.