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Tag: mobile data

  • Reliance Jio, China’s Omnicom fuel massive global mobile data traffic

    Reliance Jio, China’s Omnicom fuel massive global mobile data traffic

    NEW DELHI: Global mobile data traffic growth reached a six-year high in the third quarter of 2017, increasing by 115 per cent worldwide year-on-year with China and India—riding on Reliance Jio primarily—accounting for half of all traffic growth globally, according to new report released yesterday.

    According to Strategy Analytics’ latest `Wireless Operator Performance Benchmarking’ database and accompanying report, Reliance Jio, China Unicom and Vodafone drove accelerated mobile data traffic growth in Q3 2017.

    India and China accounted for half of all traffic growth globally with Jio’s continued disruption in India and strong growth in unlimited data plans in China driving both of those markets. In Europe, Vodafone has enjoyed healthy early traction for its zero-rated Passes, the report said.

    Strategy Analytics provides competitive edge with advisory services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Strategy Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success.

    Other key findings of the report include:

    — Reliance Jio was carrying more data traffic than any mobile operator globally within six months of launch, but its disruptive impact on the market has meant profitable traffic growth has been hard to find.

    — Unlimited plans have accelerated traffic growth in China, up 166 per cent year-on-year in Q3 2017 and have generated a healthy recovery in both service revenue and EBITDA.

    — Vodafone had eight million customers using Passes by the end of September 2017, with a positive impact on ARPU and usage. It has delivered 2.6 times growth in traffic in Europe over the last two years with near-flat opex.

    Phil Kendall, report author and director, Service Provider Group, in a statement said, “It is encouraging to see more success stories from operators using unlimited or zero-rated pricing to unlock growth in both revenue and profitability. The success of China’s Unicom’s unlimited plans and collaborations with local internet giants highlights the importance of partnering with content providers to add value to data plans.”

  • Video streaming fastest growing service on mobile data in India: Ericsson

    Video streaming fastest growing service on mobile data in India: Ericsson

    MUMBAI: Video streaming accounts for the fastest growing service on mobile data, followed by social networking.

     

    According to a report titled ‘The Changing Mobile Broadband Landscape’ released by Ericsson ConsumerLab, 70 per cent of mobile broadband smartphone users regularly stream videos on their smartphones, and 61 per cent use social networking. Indian smartphone users are also seeing greater potential in mobile broadband when it comes to facilitating the way they handle their money and personal finances. The convenience and improved experience makes m-commerce services attractive to Indian smartphone users.

     

    Of those users not using e-commerce services currently, 58 per cent stated that they would begin to do so in the next six months, while 52 per cent will use the Internet to pay bill online. Services like location navigation while travelling and cloud storage are also seeing an upswing in usage.

     

    The report highlights the evolving mobile broadband adoption and usage in urban India. The report reveals diverse behavior and needs of different mobile broadband users and the need for service providers to offer personalization. Users’ needs are evolving as usage of services and applications on smartphones is becoming a way of life.

     

    With the decrease in smartphone prices, the adoption of mobile internet within the lower socio-economic segment has increased over the last two years: from 38 per cent in 2013 to 45 per cent in 2015. Three in five smartphone users use mobile broadband in urban India. Mid-size and small cities are showing higher smartphone penetration levels at 33 per cent, as opposed to the smartphone penetration levels of 27 per cent in big non metros and large cities.

     

    At the same time, the proportion of smartphone users above the age of 50 has quadrupled, from one per cent in 2013 to four per cent in 2015. The primary motivation for this increase is the desire to be connected with loved ones in different parts of the country and the world, particularly through emails, chat applications and instant messaging.

     

    Ericsson India vice president and head of strategy and marketing Ajay Gupta says, “The Internet is finally coming of age and is empowering cross sections of Indian society. Though the most used smartphone services in India are for social networking and instant messaging, the usage of banking, e-commerce, navigation and cloud storage apps and services is increasing. It is for this reason we are seeing uptake and digital transformation of many industries like retail, transportation, and banking.”

     

    Users face differing mobile data issues depending upon location. Connection quality and reliability problems have a higher tendency to occur indoors, while session failures and poor app accessibility are problems faced by outdoor smartphone users. Sixty-three per cent of users report that they face quality and reliability issues, such as lost connections and inconsistent network speeds, when using mobile networks indoors. App-related issues while outdoors or commuting, such lengthy lag times, apps taking a long time to refresh, maps failing to load, and session failures affect 68 per cent of consumers. Such problems are more common in mid-size and small towns compared to large cities.

     

    For those consumers in India who do not use mobile broadband, affordability and digital literacy are the prime obstacles to adoption. While 88 per cent of Indian consumers on 2G feel that mobile broadband is too expensive, 53 per cent feel that mobile broadband adds no value and as many as 48 per cent believe there is no difference between 2G and 3G speeds.

     

    Mobile Internet usage is expected to grow with the consumers’ better understanding of the data plans on offer. As per the study, only 10 per cent of mobile Internet users feel they understand their plan perfectly, and are able to make an accurate judgment when deciding on a plan.

     

    Gupta says, “When consumers are confident in their understanding of what is offered, they tend to perceive better value from it. In fact, they consume twice as much data compared to users who find it difficult to understand their plan.”

     

    “Understanding the main aspects that are valued by customers can help service providers differentiate their offerings and improve consumer experience which would help increase consumer loyalty. Personalization is being positively viewed and increasingly demanded by consumers,” he adds.