Subscribe

Mobile audio booms

Admire Moyo
By Admire Moyo, ITWeb's news editor.
Johannesburg, 20 Jun 2013
Report findings serve as an essential resource for operators to discover how subscribers are using mobile devices, says Sean Wainer, country manager, Citrix SA.
Report findings serve as an essential resource for operators to discover how subscribers are using mobile devices, says Sean Wainer, country manager, Citrix SA.

Mobile audio - and Internet radio in particular - is growing mobile data subscriber usage.

This is according to the Citrix ByteMobile Mobile Analytics Report for the second quarter of 2013, which reveals that mobile audio now represents 12% of mobile data volume in North America and 4% outside the region.

Of the total volume of mobile audio measured over the period, Internet radio constitutes the majority. Citrix notes that Apple's recent iTunes Radio reveal suggests that Internet radio will continue its growth as Apple's endeavour adds to the traffic of popular applications like Spotify and Pandora.

"The Mobile Analytics Report findings serve as an essential resource for operators to discover how subscribers are using mobile devices and what applications consume the most data," says Sean Wainer, country manager, Citrix SA.

"For example, the report found that 82% of mobile video entertainment traffic is generated by YouTube. Interestingly, operators typically make little or no revenue from this traffic beyond that associated with data usage. The real-world data presented in this report validates the need for network operators to improve subscribers' mobile experience in order to distinguish their service offerings and better monetise the increase in traffic volume."

Other findings

The report shows that mobile subscribers are using mobile search more than ever before, indicating higher levels of Web interaction while on the go. The report reveals that 97% of mobile search data volume is generated by three apps - Google, Yahoo and Bing.

In a recent study by Google, the search engine found that 82% of shoppers with smartphones use mobile search to help them make in-store purchase decisions, concluding that in-store mobile activity begins with search rather than shopping apps.

When it comes to the top mobile apps, four apps generate 82% of mobile data volume on iOS devices - Media Player, Safari, App Store and Facebook. Media Player accounted for nearly half.

These top four apps also generated 52% of mobile data transactions. Accounting for 1% of mobile transactions, the eBay app now generates enough traffic to be a significant mobile data contributor and has become the first e-commerce app to pass the 1% threshold, the study found.

Facebook has also risen in prominence since February 2012, when it generated 1% of data volume. Facebook now accounts for 5% of data volume, the study adds.

On a worldwide basis, says Citrix, Google Maps usage on Apple devices surpasses that of Apple's own map application, with Google Maps generating a slight majority of mobile map data volume.

Apple holds an edge in the Americas, with the North American market, in particular, preferring Apple Maps over Google Maps 63% to 37%. Google Maps dominates the rest of the world, with Google Maps preference peaking at 80% in the Asia Pacific region.

Share