Mobile broadband is hugely convenient, and wireless solutions are often proposed as an alternative to expensive rollouts of fibre-based networks such as the National Broadband Network (NBN). But that doesn’t mean it dominates: a new analysis suggests 97 per cent of all data traffic worldwide still comes from fixed access networks.
Cabling picture from Shutterstock
Analyst firm Analysys Mason suggests that while the overall share of mobile data will increase, it will still only be 6 per cent by 2019. In part, that’s because our demand for data is growing much faster than access speeds on mobile networks. The average fixed broadband connection uses 52GB a month today, but that number will rise to 188GB by 2019, Analysys Mason predicts.
The bottom line? Mobile networks are important, but wired networks are still more important.
Comments
5 responses to “Mobile Data Still Dwarfed By Fixed Lines”
If only a person with power and knowledge could understand the importance of networking at all. Most people aged 18 and over know that a better network system for Australia will be effective in keeping up with the rest of the world…yet we are ignored. Doesn’t seem to matter who’s running the country…labour, liberal or someone else…
I believe the main reason this is true (In Australia) is because of the low data caps we have on said mobile broadband.
Let me have unlimited 4G (like I have unlimited ADSL2+) And those numbers would change drastically.
Yeah it’s stupid. I hate it so much on how they advertise a package with a shitty 1.5 gigs for a smart phone. Smart phones are meant to be able to multi task, not just check 300 emails or whatevr the shitty numbers are.
They do that cause there’s only so much data that can be transmitted/received in their 20 (or 40MHz) of spectrum… the network simply couldn’t cope with people consuming data as they please.
Exactly. I saw this article and thought “Duh! It costs me 100 bucks a month for 15GB of 4G data”
I find this hard to believe, as ABS data shows the complete opposite:
Fixed Line Data Use
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Products/8153.0~June+2013~Chapter~Volume+of+data+downloaded?OpenDocument
Vs Mobile Data Use
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Products/8153.0~June+2013~Chapter~Mobile+handset+subscribers?OpenDocument
Yep, that’s 657 262TB of data used on Fixed Line services vs 19 636TB on Mobile Handsets. In fact, recent data from ABS shows that 97% of us access the internet from home, building a strong case for ubiquitous FTTP. Not only this, ubiquitous FTTP allows for the newer LTE micro-cell and (hopefully) p-wave networks to be installed efficiently.
The strongest case for FTTP is the data churned out by the ABS actually.