Half of all data to be downloaded to wi-fi
A new report from Juniper Research forecasts that almost 50% of data traffic generated by mobile phones, tablets and other 3G/4G connected devices, will be offloaded to Wi-Fi and Small Cell networks this year.
This is equivalent to 10 billion movie downloads or 9,000 petabytes (PB) per year being offloaded from mobile operator's networks. The new report, Mobile Data Offload & Onload: Wi-Fi, Small Cell & Carrier-Grade Strategies 2012-2017, found that while Operators were benefiting from much needed relief on their over-stretched networks, they were potentially losing monetisation opportunities on the lost data usage.
In response, Operators are actively partnering with existing Wi-Fi networks and launching their own carrier grade Wi-Fi solutions. In addition, 4G technologies such as LTE along with other wireless technologies are enabling Operators to provide new services and next generation connected devices such as smart glasses.