YouTube Top Mobile Video, More Video with Faster Networks, Says Bytemobile

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Bytemobile distributed their third-quarter 2010 Mobile Minute Metrics report for video.  The report shows that YouTube is the top video source (followed by adult content), that iPhone uses more video than Android, and that higher speed networks serve higher res video, which leads Bytemobile to conclude that video optizmation will be important to carrier networks.

Report Findings:

  • The most prevalent type of video on wireless networks worldwide continues to be user-generated content available on YouTube and Google Videos.  On average, this accounts for 48% of the total network video traffic.
  • On a per-user average, iPhone users generate more video traffic than Android device users.
  • The peak hours for data traffic on wireless networks have shifted from daytime to evening. This trend signifies a transition in mobile data consumption from business usage to residential entertainment-based usage.
  • Today, higher-resolution video is requested significantly less often than lower-resolution video, yet it generates a similar amount of the total data traffic on the network - 31% as compared to 39%.  This trend indicates that even a small increase in the number of users consuming higher-quality video - which is expected on higher-speed networks - will generate a considerably greater network traffic load.
  • Wireless networks with slower end-to-end speeds show that an average of 39% of total data traffic is video-generated, while networks with higher available throughput show video traffic of nearly 60%.
  • The second largest category of video consumed on wireless networks - at more
    than 30% of total traffic - is adult content.

The October report examines the types of video content that users are viewing, data usage patterns broken down by device and individual behavior, and how these factors affect operators' networks and consumers' mobile internet experience.  Bytemobile anonymously sources the aggregate data traffic in a global cross-section of its customers' networks and provides insight into the current state of the mobile ecosystem.

"While not surprising, our findings in the 3Q 2010 Mobile Minute Metrics report indicate that we have only experienced the beginning of video's impact on wireless networks," said Joel Brand, Vice President of Product Management at Bytemobile.  "As operators continue to migrate to next-generation wireless technologies and realize faster network speeds, video traffic growth will also increase more rapidly.  Video optimization is an essential tool in the operator's arsenal for managing this explosive growth, while ensuring a quality experience to end users - and its value will only increase with future LTE networks."

To download the 3Q 2010 Mobile Minute Metrics report, please click here.