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General mobile traffic statistics and facts
Every year, the mobile phone industry is growing and mobile traffic is increasing. As new applications appear and disappear, the continued growth trend of mobile devices allows for remarkable growth in the success, number, and popularity of applications.
Mobile traffic has now surpassed desktop traffic in the digital landscape, and this trend is expected to increase further over the years.
Below, we'll look at some general mobile traffic statistics and facts.
1. Mobile devices account for approximately 47% of all online traffic in the United States.
Mobile devices continue to grow in popularity. Today, they have consolidated their role in the internet traffic global. In the United States, nearly 47% of all online traffic comes from smart mobile devices.
Many businesses, including a number of digital commerce companies, have completely abandoned the desktop Internet in favor of mobile applications.
Established businesses also favor their mobile applications and websites by offering discounts, exclusivities, and other promotions in the same spirit.
Other countries with a very high share of online traffic are Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. Most African countries have a higher share of mobile online traffic than desktop computers.
Source: Statista.com
2. Data traffic on mobile networks grew by 50% between the third quarter of 2019 and the third quarter of 2020.
2019 was a big year for the growth of mobile network data traffic. From the third quarter of 2019 to the third quarter of 2020, global data traffic on mobile networks grew by approximately 50%, representing a huge increase in popularity.
The average quarter-over-quarter growth for the third quarter of 2020 was 10%. This is likely due to lockdowns and other restrictions related to COVID-19.
Source: Ericsson.com
3. Mobile devices represent over 57% of the global market share.
Many businesses are continuously looking for ways to reach consumers cost-effectively, and mobile devices hold 57.34% of the global market share. This is because mobile devices are continuously growing rapidly, while desktop computers are growing slowly but stably.
We often see the predominance of mobile devices in developing countries, such as on the African continent, where the mobile has been winning out over the computer for some time.
Source: Statcounter.com
4. Estimates show that by the end of 2020, 5G coverage will reach 15% of all mobile devices.
5G, the fastest mobile broadband connection currently in use on a large scale, is booming. Statistics show that by the end of 2020, 5G coverage is expected to reach 15% of all mobile devices, which is much faster than its predecessor, 4G.
5G is experiencing continued funding and development from broadband companies and governments around the world due to its monumental superiority over the current standard. 5G promises to solve numerous connection problems around the world and streamline internet speeds.
Source: Ericsson.com
5. Estimates show that by 2026, 5G will account for around 54% of the total mobile data used.
Estimates show that 5G will grow at a much higher and faster rate than 4G and that by 2026, around 54% of all mobile data will come from 5G networks.
5G, while still a technology in its infancy, promises to dramatically accelerate the speed of broadband connections around the world. This makes it a much more attractive investment than 4G.
Source: Ericsson.com
6. As of February 2021, 9% of all smartphones have a resolution of 1920×1080.
Mobile phones have come a long way since their inception, and today, businesses are competing to see who can offer the best DPI, the best resolution, and the best screen quality. Most phones in 2021 have a resolution of 1920×1080, also known as Full HD.
Not so long ago, televisions could not offer Full HD resolution. This evolution therefore marks an important step in screen technology.
Source: Statcounter.com
Main activities related to mobile internet
What you do on and with your mobile device determines how much of your time is spent. If you're like most people, you're probably using your phone to watch movies or videos on the Internet. However, while entertainment is the first category of activities on the mobile Internet, many people use their devices for many other activities.
You would be surprised at the number of activities related to mobile internet. While most of them are related to entertainment or social media, phones are also a surprisingly popular business tool.
Let's take a look at the numbers for the most popular mobile internet activities.
7. The top smartphone activity in 2017 was email with 59%.
The most popular smartphone activity in 2017 was sending emails. Phones are handy, portable, and available, making them great communication tools. Email was the most popular smartphone activity by around 59%, closely followed by social media.
Source: Statista.com
8. The most popular application category in 2021 was video with 47 exabytes in use.
The most popular application category has always been something related to entertainment, and nowadays it's video. Video accounted for over 47 exabytes of data, making it the most popular application category in 2021.
Source: Ericsson.com
9. The leading app on the Apple App Store in September 2020 was TikTok, with 8.15 million downloads.
Trends come and go, and the title of the most popular phone app is constantly changing hands. Generally, the flagship application is a messaging application or a social media platform. In 2020, the most popular app on the Apple App Store was TikTok, a Chinese social networking service for sharing videos.
Source: Statista.com
10. WhatsApp was the most popular messaging app in January 2021 with 2 billion active users.
The top messaging platform application in terms of active monthly users is WhatsApp, which had around 2 billion active monthly users as of January 2021. WhatsApp is followed by Facebook Messenger with 1.3 billion active monthly users and WeChat with 1.213 billion active monthly users.
Source: Statista.com
11. In 2020, consumers spent approximately $111 billion on apps on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
Apps are a profitable business. In 2020, consumers spent approximately $111 billion on apps from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. By 2024, this figure is expected to reach an impressive $171 billion.
Source: Statista.com
12. 26% of American smartphone users have between 11 and 20 apps installed on their phones.
Smartphones have been improved with the arrival of smartphone apps. For many American smartphone users, the average number of apps on their device is between 11 and 20. Around 26% of American smartphone users have this number of apps on their phones.
Source: Audienceproject.com
13. 58% of smartphone users prefer services that websites or mobile applications remember them and their past activities.
Online privacy protection is on the rise, but even so, around 58% of smartphone users prefer a mobile app or website to remember them and their past browsing activities.
Source: Thinkwithgoogle.com
14. Around 63% of all smartphone users are more likely to buy from websites and apps that make relevant recommendations.
There are numerous applications and e-commerce sites for smartphones. Most of them use a suggestion system that recommends relevant products and services based on past searches, which seems to appeal to smartphone users.
Source: Thinkwithgoogle.com
15. American smartphone users spend approximately 82 minutes per day on smartphone-based social media apps and websites.
Smartphones can get quite addictive, and that's because they're so handy. In 2019, the average time spent by American smartphone users on social media per day was around 76 minutes.
This number is expected to increase in the coming years and rise to 82 daily minutes in 2020, mainly due to movement restrictions imposed by the SARS-COV-2 pandemic.
Source: Statista.com
16. 23% of communication service providers announced support for 5G mobile cloud gaming on a separate subscription.
Mobile games used to be frowned upon, but as mobile devices keep getting better, they're becoming more and more popular. The only factor that has held back mobile gaming is internet speed.
23% of communication service providers announced that they would implement 5G Mobile cloud gaming support to eliminate as much lag as possible.
Source: Ericsson.com
The geography of mobile traffic
Mobile traffic, while universal, is not the same everywhere. In some places, internet access speeds are slow and prices are high, while in others, internet access speeds are lightning fast and prices are affordable.
Where you are in the world can be a determining factor in how you use the mobile Internet. While the global share of mobile internet use has surpassed that of desktop internet for the first time in history, some continents like Africa experienced this surge years ago.
Let's take a look at some of the most interesting mobile traffic numbers from a geographic perspective.
17. The fastest mobile connection speed is in South Korea, at 113 Mbps.
South Korea is a technological utopia. All the latest technologies, new developments and innovations have their roots in South Korea. It is the first country for mobile connection speed with a peak of 113.01 Mbps.
Singapore is the first country in terms of average connection speed, with 57.27 Mbps, which is 8.75 Mbps more than the second country, Norway.
Source: Statista.com
18. The biggest mobile traffic engine in the world by country is India with 12 GB per month in 2019.
India is the leading country in smartphone traffic spending, averaging 12GB per month per person in 2019. This figure is expected to increase by 1.3 GB per person in 2020.
Source: Ericsson.com
19. In the United States, mobile applications will account for 88% of the minutes spent online via mobile in 2020.
Most smartphone users prefer to use designated mobile applications rather than mobile websites. This can be seen in the minutes spent on the internet via a mobile device. In 2020, approximately 88% of the online minutes spent by American smartphone users came from mobile applications.
Source: Statista.com
20. Mobile applications will represent 56% of web pages viewed worldwide in 2021.
Mobile applications have slowly overtaken desktop products in terms of web pages viewed. In 2021, they beat desktops by about 5.64%, as mobile applications represent 55.64% of web pages viewed.
Source: Statista.com
The future of 5G and 6G for mobile broadband
While it used to take hours to download the simplest application on your phone, now it only takes a few minutes. Depending on the type of mobile broadband, minutes can be transformed into seconds thanks to the innovation of a single generation. The jump from 4G to 5G has been astounding, with 5G offering much faster speeds.
While 5G is still relatively new, 6G is already under development, and it promises to offer even faster speeds than 5G technology.
Let's take a look at the future of 5G and 6G mobile broadband, as well as the connection speeds, spread, and global coverage of these promising networks.
21. 5G coverage is expected to reach 60% by 2026.
5G is the latest generation of mobile broadband technology, and it is being adopted as a global standard at a rapid pace. 5G is expected to dominate around 60% of the global broadband market by 2026.
Source: Ericsson.com
22. 5G networks are expected to carry more than 50% of the world's mobile data traffic in 2026.
5G networks are booming, and as they are likely to grow faster than their predecessor, 4G, total global mobile data traffic is expected to reach around 51 exabytes per month by the end of 2020, and around 226 exabytes per month in 2026.
Source: Ericsson.com
23. 5G is forecast to see 10% faster adoption than 4G over the same period.
Adapting technology can be a lightning-fast or slow process, and it often depends on the impact that the innovation in question could have on the world. In terms of connection, 5G promises to take connection speeds to the next level, much more than 4G has ever done.
That's why 5G is forecast to be adopted 10% faster than 4G over the same period.
Source: Ericsson.com
24. 6G should offer connection speeds that are 10 times faster than 5G.
Just because 5G is the latest mobile broadband trend doesn't mean people aren't already looking to the future. 5G is a technology that is still in its infancy, but it is by far the fastest mobile broadband connection technology currently available at around 100 Mbps.
6G technology is currently under development. It promises to offer a connection speed of 1,000 Mbps, which is ten times faster than 5G. This would completely revolutionize mobile connections as we currently know them.
Source: Statista.com
Conclusion
The world of smartphones is getting bigger and bigger. As smartphones get better every year, they're proving to be an increasingly attractive opportunity for businesses around the world.
Many current companies are now completely skipping the desktop phase in favor of smartphone development. If smartphones continue to develop and connection speeds continue to accelerate, the future will soon be in your pocket.
