World Mobile Data Usage Sees Historic Spike

In remaining doubt lingered, the latest report on mobile usage confirms it: the smartphone is the computing device of the 21st century. Sean Michael Kerner reports.

Cisco is forecasting that mobile data video traffic will continue to grow and that by 2015, video will represent 66 percent of all mobile data.

Most of the growth in mobile data consumption is coming from consumers. Webster noted that 80 percent of mobile traffic is generated by consumers with businesses representing only 20 percent.

Tiered pricing and data caps for mobile usage has had dampening affect on consumer usage of mobile data. Thomas Barnett, senior manager, service provider marketing at Cisco told InternetNews.com, that in 2009, the top 1 percent of mobile subscribers accounted for 30 percent of mobile data traffic.

“In 2010, we see that the top 1 percent represents 20 percent of mobile data traffic,” Barnett said. “That decrease has been picked up by the rest of subscribers that are now using more mobile data because they have new devices that can do more things.”

Barnett noted that tablets as well as more powerful notebooks that have mobile connectivity are also helping to increase mobile data demand.

Read the rest at Enterprise Mobile Today.