AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwired - Feb 18, 2014) - Due to both the increasing number of mobile subscribers in the world and the subscribers' desire to stay constantly connected through their mobile device, the amount of data flowing over the world's mobile network is increasing exponentially. iGR estimates that in 2013, approximately 1.4 million terabytes of mobile data traffic flowed over the world's cellular data networks per month, and by 2018, iGR forecasts mobile data traffic will rise to 13.5 million terabytes per month.
In order to determine the amount of mobile data being used, iGR's mobile data traffic model first estimates the amount of bandwidth consumed by a given activity, such as checking email, streaming music or video, or checking social sites, on a per application or per use basis. iGR has created subscriber usage profiles based on its primary and secondary research and has divided subscribers into four different usage categories: light, medium, heavy and extreme. In the mobile data traffic model, these subscriber categories are defined by the activities and applications that tend to be used by that type of subscriber, as well as by the duration of the activity, transmission time, and frequency of use, such as number of times per day, week or month. The mobile data forecast determines the amount of mobile data traffic in megabytes per month for each type of subscriber.
The final process in the mobile data traffic model is determining the number of light, medium, heavy and extreme subscribers in each region of the world. For example, North America, with its high LTE penetration would be expected to have a high number of medium and heavy data users. On the other hand, Latin America, with a high 2G penetration, has considerably more subscribers in the light data usage category.
"iGR believes that the consumption of mobile data will grow aggressively over the forecast period due in part to the addition of new mobile subscribers in developing markets," said Iain Gillott, president and founder of iGR, a market research consultancy focused on the wireless and mobile industry. "However, current subscribers will also contribute to the growth, as they more frequently use the applications on their mobile devices, especially the more data intensive activities, such as streaming audio and video."
iGR's new market study, Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast, 2013 - 2018: Up, Up and Up Some More, forecasts the mobile data traffic from 2013 to 2018 at the global level, as well as for the following regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Japan. For each region, iGR forecasts the number of light, medium, heavy and extreme subscribers, the number of mobile connections, the amount of data usage per type of subscriber per month, the amount of data usage per connection per month, and the total mobile data traffic per month.
The following key questions are addressed in the new research study:
- What are the drivers of mobile data traffic?
- What are some of the limiting factors on the amount of mobile data traffic?
- What is mobile data usage today in all regions of the world and at what rate is mobile data usage expected to grow over the forecast period?
- How does mobile data usage differ between light, medium, heavy and extreme subscribers?
- What types of subscribers dominate each regional market?
- How many mobile subscribers and mobile connections are there in each region?
- For each region, how much mobile data traffic is used by an average mobile connection?
- For each region, how much mobile data traffic is used by an average subscriber?
The information in this report will be valuable for:
- Mobile operators
- Device OEMs
- Mobile infrastructure vendors
- Mobile backhaul services and solutions providers
- Content providers and distributors
- Financial analysts and investors
The new report can be purchased and downloaded directly from iGR's website at www.iGR-inc.com. Alternatively, contact Iain Gillott at (512) 263-5682 or at Iain@iGR-inc.com for additional details.
About iGR
iGR is a market strategy consultancy focused on the wireless and mobile communications industry. Founded by Iain Gillott, one of the wireless industry's leading analysts, in late 2000 as iGillottResearch, iGR is now entering its fourteenth year of operation. iGR continuously researches emerging and existent technologies, technology industries, and consumer markets. We use our detailed research to offer a range of services to help companies improve their position in the marketplace, clearly define their future direction, and ultimately improve their bottom line.
iGR researches a range of wireless and mobile products and technologies, including: smartphones; tablets; mobile wearable devices; connected cars; mobile applications; bandwidth demand and use; small cell and het-net architectures; mobile EPC and RAN virtualization; DAS; LTE; VoLTE; IMS; NFC; GSM/GPRS/UMTS/HSPA; CDMA 1x/EV-DO; iDEN; SIP; macro-, pico- and femtocells; mobile backhaul; WiFi and WiFi offload; and SIM and UICC.
A more complete profile of the company can be found at www.igr-inc.com.
Contact Information:
Contact iGR
Iain Gillott
(512) 263-5682