Smartphones launched in 2013 consumed more than seven times the data of one launched in 2009 and 40 percent more data than 2012 models, according to Actix’s latest research on global mobile users.

Apple handsets dominate data use with almost twice the data per session than the average Android phones. Neil Coleman, Director of Global Marketing at Actix says: “Networks have been struggling to keep up with the relentless growth in data demand.

In the past the transition that drove data consumption was from feature phone to smartphone. Now it’s the upgrade path from low-end to high-end smartphones. Each generation adds 40 percent additional network traffic by device.”

Other key findings of the report include:

•The average smartphone in a user’s pocket is 26 months old
•iPhones held the top three places in the most data hungry devices (iPhones 4, 4S and 5)
•Samsung has four models in the top 10 most data hungry devices
•Tablet users consume more than twice as much data as smartphones, while MiFi devices drive almost nine times more data consumption

Coleman continues: “95 percent of data is being consumed on smartphones rather than tablets, but with the growth in low cost tablets, operators will need to ensure that networks are ready for more data hungry tablets.”

The research, conducted by Actix to understand more clearly the pressures on the Radio Access Network (RAN) – the critical part of the network that connects the mobile phone to the nearest antenna – analysed more than 100,000 devices in Europe and North America being used on mobile networks during 2013.

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