Where do you watch video from Internet-based streaming services? Most of us do the majority of our video viewing from the comfort of an armchair or the couch at home via a wired connection or WiFi.
Like most baby boomers, we certainly do, enjoying Netflix via WiFi on a large, widescreen LED TV or on our laptop or tablet computers.
But younger consumers are 94 percent more likely to to use mobile Internet-based video services. This worries mobile data network providers, says a new report from iGR.
“Half of all 3G/4G mobile data traffic is already due to video,” said Iain Gillott, president and founder of iGR, a market research consultancy focused on the wireless and mobile industry.
“As more consumers start to consume video on mobile devices, this percentage will increase and add to the congestion on these mobile data networks.”
While the iGR report (available for purchase from its website) covers many details on how often US consumers watch which types of video from a variety of devices and platforms, it doesn’t offer a lot in the way of what carriers can do about the stress on their networks.
Sounds like an opportunity for some enterprising startup to address to us. What might work? Better video compression?
On the other hand, if a solution isn’t forthcoming, carriers may resort to increasing use of bandwidth charges and restrictions.
Related Stories:
- Carriers likely to move to more WiFi offload by 2016
- Home WiFi bandwidth use on cable networks to more than double
- Home users will double bandwidth use in four years
- Wi-Fi still the dominant mobile data network
- Mobile video traffic hits nearly 70 percent on some networks
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Tags: data traffic, iGR, mobile video, operator concerns, U.S. Consumers' Viewing Habits: It's Not Just TV
