With more and more people getting a smartphone, mobile data consumption keeps rising. According to a new study by ABI Research, the global volume of mobile data traffic will exceed 107 exabytes in 2017, which is eight times more than what is expected for 2012.
However, ABI’s senior analyst Aapo Markkanen says that although the numbers may sound seemingly big, they shouldn’t be understood as yet another warning of the untamable data tsunami mobile operators often try to portray for regulatory reasons. He goes on to say that 2015 will be the last year when the traffic volume will grow by more than 50% annually.
A lot of the overall data consumption will depend on how much of on-demand video content will in the end be delivered over cellular networks. Netflix was pointed out as a great example for their decision to add a new feature to the iOS app using which users can limit their viewing to Wi-Fi only and thereby avoid overage charges…
As usual, you can check ABI Research’s website for any additional information.