Average Smartphone User Consumes 298 MB per Month
Posted by Jesse Ward on Thursday, July 1, 2010 · 
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Nielsen has closely examined the issue of smartphone data consumption in the United States, reviewing more than 60,000 bills from mobile customers each month. The analytics firm determined that the average user consumes 298 MB of data per month. This is a dramatic increase from the 90 MB per month recorded during the first quarter of 2009, a year-over-year increase of approximately 230%.
Nielsen also found that the heaviest users consume the most bandwidth, with 6% of users consuming half of all data used. At the opposite end of the spectrum, nearly 25% of smartphone users consume less than 1 MB a month.
Nielsen draws far-reaching conclusions from this research, stating that usage-based pricing may be “more fair,” and that most users may be “better off” with a pricing scheme like AT&T’s new data pricing model, rather than under flat-rate pricing. Broadband Reports takes issue with Nielsen’s analysis point-by-point, noting that new mobile broadband pricing models which institute caps and overages are not about saving consumers money, or instituting a fair pricing policy.
Mobile data usage is exploding. Bandwidth hogs, subscribers who consume an inordinate amount of data, are slowing down service for other users. And the problem is not confined to mobile operators; wired broadband providers also are faced with power users who bog down the network with bandwidth-intensive applications such as online video streaming and gaming.
Broadband providers, both mobile and fixed, clearly need to balance network supply with demand. Fixed broadband providers have trialed metered billing, but faced public and media criticism that pushed them back to the drawing board.
Meanwhile, AT&T has ushered in a new pricing model for its wireless customers. Will other wireless companies follow this trend? Nielsen, a trusted media and research firm, just provided a third-party affirmation of the problem.
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