The most extreme data hogs are far more voracious on 4G network than previously seen on 3G networks.
According to new data from JDSU’s Location Intelligence Business Unit (formerly Arieso), just 0.1% of 4G users consume more than HALF of all 4G downlink data measured. Beyond the 5s, Apple products account for six of the top ten ‘hungriest handsets’, along with two Samsung products, one HTC and one Sony.
The study found that iPhone 5s users are ‘hungriest’ data users, consuming seven times as much data as benchmark iPhone 3G users in developed markets, and 20 times as much data as benchmark iPhone 3G users in developing markets.
“For the past three years we’ve seen explosive growth in mobile data usage, causing operators to have to wrestle with the challenges their success is creating,” said Dr. Michael Flanagan, CTO of Mobility for the Network and Service Enablement business segment of JDSU and author of the study.
“Each new generation of iPhone has resulted in increases in data consumption of between 20-40 percent – even today when data use is common. Though interestingly, users of the more economically-priced iPhone 5c consume data in the range between that of the iPhone 4s and 5 users,” said Flanagan.
“The faster the speeds that mobile operators provide, the more consumers swallow it up and demand more,” continued Flanagan. “One would expect a honeymoon period in which early adopters test their toys. But for 4G users to consistently exhibit behaviour 10 times more extreme than 3G users well after launch constitutes a seismic shift in the data landscape. This has important ramifications for future network designs.”
In the tablet segment, users of the fourth generation iPad consumed almost 40 percent more data than last year’s hungriest device, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. The study also reveals that the new iPad mini is seen to be “mini” in name and in data consumption, consuming 20 percent less data than second- and third-generation iPads.
“Last year, we were surprised to see that smartphones trumped tablets when it came to data consumption. Lost ground has not been made up by tablets, in spite of the progress of the fourth generation iPad. Only two of our top ten most hungry devices were tablets this year, compared to three last year,” commented Flanagan.
Last year, JDSU acquired Arieso, a developer of location-aware software for mobile network operators, for $85 million in cash.
Arieso, which is based in Newbury, United Kingdom, offers a multi-vendor, location-aware network monitoring and optimization solution that delivers intelligence for more effective network performance engineering. It also supplies an automated network planning technology that searches all possible configurations to deliver optimum network designs. Arieso said its proprietary algorithms provide highly rich and targeted data from mobile connection events to give mobile operators visibility into service level activity and usage patterns. Arieso’s bookings for calendar 2012 were approximately $27 million.
JDSU said the acquisition advances its mobility strategy by extending visibility all the way to the subscriber location, providing critical intelligence that allows radio access network (RAN) optimization teams to maximize return on investment by identifying ideal locations for small cells and other self-optimizing network enhancements with surgical precision, across the widest range of technologies and vendors. JDSU will integrate Arieso’s products with complementary solutions such as PacketPortal, JDSU’s open software platform, providing end-to-end visibility across mobile networks.
