197,000PB of mobile data by 2019, predicts report

28th May 2015

Barney Scott

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Juniper Research has forecast that mobile data traffic generated by smartphones, featurephones and tablets will approach almost 197,000PB by 2019, equivalent to over 10bn Blu-ray movies. However, the research found that only 41% of the data generated by these devices will be carried over cellular networks, the majority of mobile data traffic being offloaded to WiFi networks.

The research, Mobile Data Offload & Onload: WiFi, Small Cell & Network Strategies 2015-2019, estimates that the average monthly data usage by smartphone and tablet users will double over the next four years. The daily media consumption by mobile users will continue to rise, bolstered by the rise in 4G adoption and factors such as HD video usage.

“Certainly, video is forming an ever-greater proportion of network traffic. For example, Juniper Research anticipates that video traffic over smartphones will increase by nearly 8 times between 2014 and 2019,” commented research author Nitin Bhas. Video currently accounts for around 60% of global IP traffic and, in some developed markets, this proportion is likely to exceed 70% in 2-3 years.

In 2014, data traffic generated by smartphones, featurephones and tablets in the Far East & China exceeded that of North America for the first time.

Additionally, the research observed that WiFi has now become an integral part of operators’ network strategy. WiFi is not just being used for data offload, but also to maintain call connection quality in challenging network topologies. For example, EE UK launched its WiFi calling feature on a selected number of handsets in April 2015.

The research found that onloaded M2M traffic will significantly increase over the forecast period, primarily driven by telematics and connected car infotainment systems, and that North America and Western Europe will have the highest offload factor throughout the forecast period.

The WiFi Calling Operators whitepaper is available to download from the Juniper website together with further details of the research. Juniper provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.