WATERLOO – Mean monthly web data usage has spiked by 120% from 23GB to 51GB in the past year on North American fixed line networks reports Sandvine (51GB is equivalent to 81 hours of video). The world leader of mobile data consumption is Asia with a mean monthly usage of 659 MB, up 10% in the last six months.
Sandvine’s Internet traffic trends report "Global Internet Phenomena Report 2H2012 " is based on data from a selection of Sandvine's 200-plus customers spanning North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Caribbean and Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
"There is only one digital network being built today and that is the Internet," said Dave Caputo, CEO, Sandvine. "With a 120% growth rate there is no doubt that more communications service providers will be launching application-based pricing plans that provide cost certainty and a consistent quality of experience for high-demand applications. Understanding the application make-up of a network is a critical first step in launching new services."
Video streaming
• In Europe, YouTube represents more than 20% of peak period downstream traffic on mobile networks
• Netflix dominates North American fixed networks accounting for 33% of peak period downstream traffic
• Other video services on North American fixed networks include Amazon (1.8% of peak period downstream traffic), Hulu (1.4%) and HBO Go (0.5%)
"Audio and video streaming account for 65% of all downstream traffic from 9pm-12am and half of that is Netflix traffic [on North America fixed networks]. Prioritizing real-time applications like live audio and video is critical to maintaining a high quality of experience. Sandvine's video quality metrics, including display and transport quality, will be key to understanding the impact of major events like the 2014 World Cup which will likely be the most streamed event in Internet history," said Caputo.
P2P File sharing
• BitTorrent continues to decline in application-share, accounting for 16% of total traffic in Europe and is slightly smaller in North America, accounting for 12%
• In Asia-Pacific, where there are fewer paid over-the-top video services available, BitTorrent accounts for 36% of total traffic
"Real-Time Entertainment continues to soar. Since 2009 on-demand entertainment consumed more bandwidth than "experience later" bulk transfers and we project that trend to continue through 2015 when BitTorrent will shrink to less than 10% of total traffic," added Caputo.
