Applications on mobile networks

To better understand how usage differs between
various devices and networks, a study has been
performed based on deep analysis of selected
3G networks that together cover all major
regions of the world.

The spread observed for mobile PCs is between
1 and 7GB per month. Mobile PCs have
the highest average monthly traffic volume
per subscription over 3G (global average at
1-2GB), followed by tablets at 250-800MB and
smartphones at 80-600MB.

Regardless of device type, online video
(30-40 percent) is the biggest contributor to
traffic volumes, followed by web browsing
(20-30 percent). Traffic drawn from mobile PCs is
notable for having significantly higher file sharing
activity than other devices. On tablets and
smartphone devices, online audio, email, software
downloads, and social networking traffic are
important contributors to 3G data traffic.

SESSiON LENgThS
Mobile PCs are used for a few longer
sessions, mainly during the daytime and
evening, but between late night and dawn,
most are turned off. In contrast, tablet and
smartphone devices usually have frequent,
short sessions typically across the whole
day. Tablets are in this respect much closer
to smartphones than to mobile PCs.