Sure, I have blogged ad nausem that iPad, iPhone and other smart devices are boosting demand for Wi-Fi connectivity (and hence gear) both at home and offices. But I couldn’t help but share this data from Actix, a London-based mobile network analytics company. In a press release they note:
By analyzing data from a live 3G network in a major city, the mobile network analytics and optimization specialist has found that only 5% of iPads are used outdoors and whilst iPads account for just 1% of data sessions, they use four times more data than an average 3G device. Key findings from the study were:
- iPads account for less than 1% of all data sessions but make up 5% of total traffic.
- 95% of iPad usage is indoors.
- 90% of traffic from the iPhone 4 and 80% from Blackberry devices is from indoor use.
This isn’t surprising. Apparently 9-out-of-10 iPads being sold are WiFi only. I use my iPad to watch Netflix and Vimeo, but not over 3G. The networks are pokey and bandwidth is expensive.
But I bet this changes with the availability of LTE-based iPads, despite the expensive price tag on the data plans. Thanks to better speeds on the networks and ease with which I can access data instantly, I have stopped carrying my MacBook Air and instead never leave home without the LTE-version of iPad and the Apple keyboard just in case I need to draft something longer.
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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- U.S. Wireless Data Market: Q4 and Year-End 2008
- A look back at mobile in Q1
- Tablet market to hit over 377 million units by 2016
