Two-thirds of all app data traffic over mobile networks comes from the top five apps in each country, with video streaming and social networking dominating.
These are among the findings of the Ericsson Mobility Report, which says that, in the countries illustrated in the report – the US, South Korea, and Spain – they account for around two-thirds of all app traffic over mobile networks, which reflects a global trend.
The study also finds that total mobile video traffic of next six years will be around 17 times that of last six years.
During the last year, LTE subscriptions, at 110-million, achieved higher net additions than WCDMA/HSPA for the first time. Meanwhile, 800-million smartphone subscriptions were added worldwide taking the total number to 2,7-billion, up 40% from a total of 1,9-billion subscriptions in 2013.
Video streaming and social networking prove by far the most popular apps in each country. Despite clear general trends, each nation displays its own unique preferences – for example, in December 2014, the US top three included
Netflix and YouTube, while South Korea was notable for peer-to-peer TV app AfreecaTV and home-grown search portal NAVER. Facebook was the number one app in each country studied.
A further finding from the report is that mobile video dominates traffic growth and is forecast to grow by around 45% annually through to 2020. Over the next six years, total mobile video traffic will grow 17 times more than it did in the
last six years. Prominent factors driving this rapid growth include increased number of video-enabled devices, larger screens, and better picture quality. Another prominent driver is that video is becoming an increasing part of online content, such as news, adverts, and social media. Video is increasingly shared via popular social sites, such as Twitter.
Fourth quarter figures for uptake of different mobile standards show that, for the first time, LTE technology achieved the highest quarterly additions, with 110-million new mobile subscriptions. Other standards listed in the report include HSPA and GSM/EDGE, amongst others. Alongside this, full year figures for 2014 show that 800-million smartphone subscriptions were added worldwide taking the total number to 2,7-billion, up 40% from a total of 1,9-billion smartphone subscriptions in 2013.
Findings from the report reflect a decline in the numbers watching broadcast TV, and an increase in those enjoying streaming services. Having studied nine key markets around the world, Ericsson ConsumerLab has identified a shift in consumer viewing behaviour when measuring frequency of viewing: this year for the first time more people will watch streamed on demand video than broadcast TV over a weekly period in those markets.
Drivers for this change include the advent of 4G technology, the growth in smartphone and tablet usage, and a shift in consumer behaviour towards easy-to-use, on-demand services that offer cross-platform access to content.
