Mobile data usage continues to explode, as more and more people make the leap from regular mobile phones to smartphones like the iPhone and Android phones. That probably won’t surprise anybody, but Nielsen’s latest research indicates that at least that data isn’t getting more expensive.
U.S. smartphone owners almost doubled their data consumption over the past year, according to Nielsen. On a monthly basis average data use went from 230MB in first quarter of 2010 to 435MB in this year’s first quarter. Among the so-called power users at the top of the consumption graph, data use accelerated even more quickly: the top 10 percent of smartphone users are gobbling up 109 percent more data than a year ago, and the top 1 percent used 155 percent more data: 4.6GB worth of data.
However, data pricing has mostly held the line over that time, as the effective cost per MB fell from 14 cents a year ago to 8 cents this year. So now the question is how long wireless carriers are willing to let that trend continue, because the cost of building and maintaining those networks is not getting any cheaper. Some have moved toward data caps, but with usage stats like these, AT&T’s 4GB cap on the iPhone isn’t going to be hit by the vast majority of U.S. users just yet.
And not to pile on too much, but one other graph from Nielsen’s survey neatly illustrates why Research in Motion (NSDQ: RIMM) is in so much trouble. Over the last year, Windows Mobile users have consumed more data than BlackBerry users. To repeat: Windows Mobile, a dying operating system that has all but disappeared from the mobile scene, is used more often for wireless data than the BlackBerry, which has been around forever, has an application developer base, and the support of wireless carriers.
The graph:
Phone data use rose
89% in first quarter.
in your data – “windows users have used more data than RIM users” – this doesnt mean the users aer using the phone more – nor does this indicate trouble for RIM – the RIM BlackBerry platform is extremely efficient in delivering data (email/calendar/contacts) by its unique compression – this overall smaller data footprint also assists in the battery performance etc.
Windows Phone has had a terrible start with phantom data use causing high use bills for users http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12152517 and also an issue in the EAS which will not alert the handset to stop trying to send if the email address is wrong or if the Exchange limit for sending attachments is met – as I work for a carrier I have seen this mean that a windows phone user trying to send a 12mb file when their exchange limit is 10mb – result 4GB excess use – £4000 bill.