The growth in mobile data traffic in SA is set to outpace the global average.
This is according to Cisco's “Visual Networking Index (VNI): Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast, 2011-2016” report.
In the report, the company predicts that mobile data traffic in SA will grow 118% in the 2011 to 2016 timeframe, compared to the global forecasted growth of 78%.
According to Cisco, mobile traffic in SA will reach 102 565 terabytes per month in 2016, compared to 2 090 terabytes per month in 2011. It adds that global mobile data traffic will reach 10 804 321 terabytes.
Demanding devices
Kevin Bloch, Cisco's CTO for Australia and New Zealand, says one of the key drivers of mobile data growth in SA is the proliferation of mobile devices. According to Cisco, the number of smartphones in SA grew 55% during 2011, reaching nine million in number. However, the company also forecasts that, by 2016, this number will reach 24 million. At the same time, according to Bloch, by 2016, one-quarter of people will have more than two devices.
Bloch also points out that mobile phones have predominantly been used for voice, but as smartphones with multimedia functionality start to penetrate the market, these devices will consume more data.
Other drivers, according to Cisco, include an increase in mobile connections, faster mobile data speeds, as well as increased mobile cloud traffic, mobile gaming traffic and mobile video traffic. According to Bloch, mobile connection speeds will grow 71% from 2011 to 2016, reaching 5 429Kbps in 2016.
Video velocity
The report also revealed that mobile video traffic in SA is forecast to grow 91-fold from 2011 to 2016, reaching 86 289TB per month. The company says this is a compound annual growth rate of 146%, compared to a global average of 90%.
Bloch says that by the end of 2011, video accounted for more than half of SA's mobile data traffic, but will account for 84% by 2016.
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