Mobile Data Usage In India Leaps To 11GB In A Month Per User 

New Delhi: Mobile data usage in India jumped 144 per cent (y-o-y) to 2,360 petabytes, with average consumption per user in 4G broadband reaching 11 gigabyte per month in December 2017, says a Nokia MbIT 2018 report released today.

"On one side, we do have financial stress but at the same time, data usage increases..., it creates opportunity in the market," Nokia VP and India Market Head, Sanjay Malik, said while sharing details for pattern till December 2017. He said that with a limited number of telecom operators in the market due to consolidation, there will be stiff competition among them and service providers will focus on enhancing customer experience.

"Overall, India data traffic grew by 144 per cent. 4G usage reaching 11 GB per user per month on average. Video content contributed up to 65 per cent of total mobile data traffic," Amit Marwah, head of customer marketing and communication, Nokia India, told reporters. The average 4G data consumption in India as per the last report for year 2016 was around 1 GB per user per month, excluding data from consumption on Jio network.

"Mobile broadband performance in India shows that 4G emerged as the key driver of mobile data consumption in 2017, capturing 82 per cent of mobile data traffic and growing 135 per cent (y-o-y) with the rapid deployment of 4G networks and affordable devices. 3G grew data grew 286 per cent in 2017, driven by an increased appetite for data consumption and better coverage," Marwah said.

According to the report, data consumption continued to be driven by video, which contributed 65 to 75 per cent of total mobile data traffic. This was powered by the availability of Hindi and regional language content, as well as the proliferation of original OTT-only series. "In 2017, Hindi and regional languages comprised more than 90 per cent of popular videos watched online," Marwah said.

On average, an Indian subscriber consumed 7.4 GB of data per user per month on their mobile devices over mobile networks alone, placing India ahead of developed markets like the UK, South Korea and France. The average consumption over both Wi-Fi and mobile networks in India was 8.8 GB data per user per month, at par with other developed markets, as per the report. Marwah attributed increase in data consumption to lower tariffs, expansion of 3G and 4G coverage in 2017.

"The 4G network expansion was supported by the dramatic growth of LTE devices in the country, with 9 out of 10 smartphones shipped in 2017 supporting 4G. The LTE (4G)-capable device base grew to 218 million in 2017, with 74 per cent being Voice over LTE (VoLTE) capable as well," Marwah said.

PTI