In the realm of smartphones, network carriers play a major role in increasing the mobile phone data usage. According to 2009-2010 Wireless Data Consumption study by Validas, it is reported that the consumption of data by Verizon Wireless smartphones is more than the Apple’s iPhone. This study surveys, analyzes and compares information taken from verified consumer bills.
As per the report, smartphones utilize a large number of data but the major effect is caused by simple feature phones which appear to have a long tail effect on increasing small-volume data users. It states that between 2009 and 2010, data users increased from 42 percent to 53 percent of total subscribers and in mean MB usage per user has grown from 96.8MB to 145.8MB. The report also claimed that new smartphones consumed more data with a development from 139MBs to 415MBs in mean consumption per user and 87 percent of subscribers with usage to 94 percent. This figure does not include iPhone and Blackberry devices.
The study further said that the mean data consumption among aircard users had mounted to 8 percent from 1,373.3MBs to 1,485.2MBs and among feature phones, it increased from 46.1MBs to 67.9MBs where data users had grown from 27.3 percent to 36.7 percent. In terms of individual companies, Verizon Wireless is the highest in terms of mean data from 48.2MB to 147.2MB with data consumption growing from 33.4 percent to 42.9 percent.
T-Mobile is known to have ranked second largest in mean data usage per user rising to 120.6MB from 44.6MB, though in regards to overall percentage of lines with data usage no growth was witnessed. The report claims that Sprint had a fall from 36.9 percent to 49.9 percent in lines with data usage and mean usage per user decreased from 166.5MB to 133.4MB. This decline is probably due to the percentage of users utilizing mean usage of 50MB or less per month.
With an increase in data usage from 58.4 percent to 71.2 percent, AT&T continues to lead and also grows in mean usage per user from 111.9MB to 149.6MB. Verizon Wireless is said to have the largest growth in aircard or laptop card mean usage per user from 1.25GB to 1.6GB.
The report claims that simple feature phones also enable adding data load to carrier networks. And hence, they did not overlook the increasing number and activity of aircards as 3G networks are undergoing a test in the battle of data-hungry subscribers.