Global LTE traffic is estimated to grow more than 200% in 2013

ABI Research finds total mobile data traffic had amounted to 13,412 petabytes by the end of 2012; an increase of 69% year-on-year. 3G data usage occupied 46% of the total with an increase of 130% year-on-year. 4G LTE traffic is accelerating, with a growth rate of 207% in 2013 compared to 99% for 3G traffic, as per ABI. “In developed markets, 4G is rapidly gaining traction. Verizon Wireless, for example, has reported that 50% of its data usage is on 4G LTE,” commented Marina Lu, research associate at ABI Research. Other points shared by ABI includes: Underpinning mobile data usage are smartphone apps; their downloads, and the traffic usage they generate, has become a significant contributor to mobile data traffic. Smartphone app downloads were 36.2 billion for 2012, up 88% compared to 2011. Asia-Pacific has overtaken North America (25%), with 39% of total smartphone app downloads. IP/web browsing constitutes 51% of total mobile data traffic in 2012. However, by 2018, large mobile device screens and 4G data-speeds will stimulate mobile video streaming/downloads to account for 56% of total traffic. Smartphone apps are a double-edged sword. While they promote the adoption of mobile data tariffs, Over-The-Top Instant Messaging and VoIP services are threatening the operators’ messaging and voice revenue models. However, operators are striving to benefit from the data usa...