Research firm GfK was recently given access to the logs of over 200,000 mobile internet users in 3 European countries and they’ve discovered that network usage skyrockets in the morning starting at 07:15, peaks again around 16:30 (04:30 in the afternoon), and then drops like a rock a few hours after that. They’re also seeing that the top 50 websites on the internet account for nearly 40% of traffic and that there are a small group of people, roughly 15% of the sample, who visit mainly one website: Facebook. None of this should come as a surprise to anyone who has seen young people fiddling with their devices. GfK plans to increase their sample size during the next survey, and also expand territories, so we should be getting more granular information during 2011 that can be put to better use by both operators and developers looking to maximize the usage of their application or service.
When do you use your smartphone? For many people their mobile device has replaced the wrist watch and alarm clock so it’s the first thing they grab in the morning. Personally, I don’t even leave bed until I’ve checked both my email accounts, catch up on some news, and look at my Twitter and Facebook streams. Then there is the commute to work, which I thankfully don’t have, but many do. Should operators focus on making their networks more reliable for people riding the bus/tram/metro? Something to think about when planning a new round of network upgrades. The second spike in traffic, right before the work day ends, again mimics my personal usage since that’s when I’m looking to get in touch with people to hatch diabolical schemes to take over the world, have a few shots, and if I’m lucky wake up next to someone beautiful.
When would you say is your peak smartphone usage and should operators start charging higher rates for data during peak times?
[Via: Cellular News]