Global mobile data traffic doubled in year: Ericsson
The amount of data used by mobile devices doubled over the past year, boosted by growth in video streaming services, according to a study released on Wednesday by Swedish telecom group Ericsson.
Data traffic doubled in the third quarter of this year on an annual basis, and rose 16 percent from the previous quarter, it said.
The trend is set to continue, with the amount of information transferred
over mobile networks doubling every year for the next six years, driven in large part by users accessing more
video content.
Computers and tablets currently dominate mobile traffic, but the high growth in smartphone subscriptions means data consumption will be split equally between the two in 2018.
"Smartphone traffic is growing faster due to the high growth in subscriptions," the report said.
Around 40 percent of all phones sold in the third quarter of this year were smartphones.
Mobile devices have turned social media into an activity that consumers engage in througout the day, Ericsson noted.
"It has begun to influence and
merge with other behaviors, such as watching TV and other video content,"
it said.
"The two activities are instead done in parallel or even merged into a new kind of behavior."
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments