Mobile Worker Bandwidth Usage

This report estimates the amount of wireless data bandwidth being used by mobile workers on a per month basis. This report also forecasts the number of mobile workers who use wireless data and the amount of wireless bandwidth consumed per mobile worker per month from 2008 through 2014. Of course the underlying premise of this report is that as mobile workers get better, faster and more powerful mobile devices and wireless data networks, along with more content and applications, they will consume ever-increasing amounts of wireless bandwidth. This same trend occurred (and is occurring) in the wireline broadband space, so there is really no reason to believe that the same will not occur in the wireless world.

In fact, wireless bandwidth consumption might actually scale faster than wireline broadband since there is so much more Web, application and audio/video content available today as opposed to even 5 years ago. Now that 2.5G/3G and 802.11 networks are widely deployed, at least in the U.S., the argument could be made that the only factor holding back wireless content consumption are the devices – hence the trend toward smartphones, the somewhat nebulous “mobile Internet devices” concept and even small form factor laptop computers. (Note, too, that Clearwire’s rollout of WiMax network might also factor in to the increasing use of wireless bandwidth, at least among consumer users – although there companies such as Towerstream which use WiMax to service businesses.) Moreover, many users across the board (consumer and business) are looking for ways to replicate the desktop experience on their handheld devices – and that simple desire is part of why the iPhone has proved so successful. Other similar devices in the business market – the Storm and various touch-screen Windows Mobile-based devices, and perhaps even the forthcoming Palm Pre – have also proven popular among mobile workers and consumers.

Obviously, there are a great many assumptions built into a bandwidth model such as this– bandwidth per application, number of mobile workers, types of applications used, number of times those applications are used, degree of mobility, etc. In creating this model, then, iGR relied as much as possible on survey data regarding these various factors, as well as on its wireless subscriber and mobile worker forecasts, and bandwidth/usage-related data from independent firms. The fruit of various discussion with industry participants (wireless carriers, application vendors, etc.) also played a role in creating the assumptions for this model.

This report is divided into three sections:

• Mobile worker use base: Puts forth "a number" to size the population discussed and segments mobile workers into four categories of users: extreme, heavy, medium and light.
• Application uptake: What applications are used and how often, as well as how much average bandwidth they consume.
• Total bandwidth: Aggregates up the per-segment estimated bandwidth into an approximate total figure.

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