LTE Boosts Mobile Data Consumption

Despite the ongoing trend towards mobile web usage, the majority of mobile data traffic is still powered by fixed-line networks. In the past, a combination of limited data plans and insufficient connection speeds has resulted in consumers connecting to faster and more stable fixed networks when consuming data-heavy content. The ongoing rollout of 4G or LTE networks could change that.

A recent study, conducted by informa and Mobidia, suggests that LTE capability increases cellular data use of smartphone users significantly. In the United States, cellular data consumption of LTE customers is 36 percent higher than that of 3G-enabled smartphone users. In Japan and South Korea, the world's largest LTE markets, the difference is even larger at 67 and 132 percent, respectively.

Surprisingly, the increase of cellular data usage does not come at the expense of Wi-Fi use. Quite the opposite in fact: While the percentage of Wi-Fi traffic is lower for LTE customers, absolute Wi-Fi data consumption of LTE smartphone users is actually higher than that of 3G users in the United States and Japan.