Fuelled by advances in smartphone technology as well as mobile applications and services, consumer demand for mobile data is accelerating beyond all expectations, says a new report from telecoms network technology firm Arieso.
Users of the latest generation iPhone 4S transfer on average three times more data than users of the older iPhone 3G model, which was used as the benchmark in the Arieso study.
By comparison, data usage of the previous model, the iPhone 4, was only 1.6 times higher than the iPhone 3G, the study showed.
'The iPhone 4S has a number of 'cloud' features that will increase the amount of data demand over what occurs on the iPhone 4,' said Michael Flanagan, Arieso's chief technology officer. Cloud computing refers to internet-accessed shared computing programmes and applications that act as services rather than products.
Apple's Siri, a virtual personal assistant that responds to voice commands, was one application that increased data demand, said Flanagan. Growth of cloud computing-based applications like iTunes and other services, which use mobile networks to connect consumers with remote computers, may also be a factor.
Telecoms operators are increasingly reliant on subscribers who use internet browsing on their phones as growth areas, as traditional voice traffic declines. However, the sharp rise in data consumption puts more pressure on operators to speed up investment in capacity, as they are already struggling with clogged networks.
