The popularity of mobile video continues to increase, and will account for a staggering 72% of total mobile data traffic by the end of 2019, according to a new study by Cisco. As part of its annual report on the state of mobile data traffic, the I.T. giant not only confirmed that mobile video viewing was responsible for 55% of total mobile data traffic in 2014, but also predicts that mobile video will increase 13-fold between 2014 and 2019.
Cisco’s Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update: 2014–2019 confirms that global mobile data traffic grew 69% in 2014, and that last year, the number of mobile-connected devices exceeded the world’s population. As for video consumption via mobile, that’s having an immediate impact on data traffic right now, and is set to explode in the next 4 years.
The Future of Mobile Video Traffic – Cisco Predictions:
- Mobile video content has significantly higher bit rates than other types of mobile content, so will generate much of the mobile traffic growth from now to 2019
- By 2019, 5.2 billion people, that’s 69% of the global population, are expected to be mobile users
- The Smartphone will be the overwhelming mobile phone of choice with 4.6 million users, compared to 3.1 billion who choose to use feature phones
- Monthly global mobile data traffic will surpass 24.3 exabytes by 2019 (Exabyte = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 Bytes)
Mobile Video Traffic: Consumption & Bit Rates On the Increase
Because mobile video has greater bit rates than types of mobile content, it is expected to drive much of the mobile traffic growth from 2015 to 2019. Cisco estimates that mobile video will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 66% between now and 2019, accounting for the highest rate of growth across any other mobile application category, excluding M2M traffic. Cisco also predicts that of the 24.3 exabytes crossing mobile networks by 2019, video production will be responsible for 17.4 of those exabytes:
As part of the study, Cisco also confirmed that it categorized some internet video applications – like YouTube, and Netflix – in the cloud application vertical under ‘video streaming’. This category will account for 90% of total mobile data traffic by 2019 (compared to 81% by Q4 2014), and is on target to grow 11-fold in the next 4 years:
You can download the new Cisco report directly from the site.
