New figures from Ericsson show mobile data tripled during the last year to 225,000 terabytes per month during the second quarter of the year.
The new figures also reveal that while mobile broadband accounts for just 10% of total mobile subscriptions, it takes up a majority of traffic as more users opt on to data-based smartphone plans.
“The growth and benefits of mobile broadband are undeniable,” Ericsson senior vice president and chief technology officer Håkan Eriksson said in a statement.
“The business model for mobile broadband is becoming one of increasing profitability and competitive differentiation through superior quality of service. Operator’s focus on end-to-end converged IP networks is key to addressing the dramatic traffic growth, while reducing costs and improving the user experience. For consumers, mobile broadband is transforming the way we communicate and prosper as a society.”
The figures come as Telstra revealed last week it is suffering from over $300 million of bad debt, with $90 million due to customers not understanding how much data they can use on their smartphones without breaching caps.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
