Unlimited data plans fuel the smartphone addiction, but may pave the way for important broadband infrastructure advancements.
IF WI-FI USERS FEEL threatened by Russian hackers or increasingly sophisticated bots, they aren't showing it.
Nearly 80 percent of global respondents in a Best Countries survey say their internet privacy is at risk. Yet, the average amount of mobile data downloaded per subscriber more than doubled between the end of 2016 and the end of 2017, according to a recent report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
In Finland, subscribers downloaded 15.5 gigabytes of mobile data per month on average – far more than users in any of the 33 other countries assessed in the OECD report – and accounted for one of the largest year-over-year increases. That's enough mobile data to stream more than 24 hours of high-definition video, listen to nearly 130 songs per day or send more than 1 million emails each month.
Mobile downloads in South Korea averaged about 5 gigabytes per month, while users averaged about 2.5 gigabytes in the U.K. and Italy, 1.5 gigabytes in Canada and less than 1 gigabyte in Greece and Slovakia.
Demand for mobile data is universal, says Sam Paltridge of the OECD's Directorate of Science Technology and Industry. Availability, affordability and competitiveness of mobile data networks are what help countries meet that demand, he says.
But like any addiction, more broadband just means more browsing.
Finland is one of a handful of countries in which mobile subscribers have access to unlimited data plans. The country's strong broadband infrastructure is further bolstered by free high-speed public Wi-Fi nearly everywhere in its capital city.
Other countries that rank among the top in terms of mobile data usage and those in which mobile data usage is growing most rapidly – including Austria and Estonia – also have providers that promote unlimited data plans.
Meanwhile, those with some of the most expensive and limited mobile data plans – such as the Netherlands and Belgium – have among the lowest mobile data usage.
Broadband penetration is more than 100 percent in OECD nations, meaning there is at least one mobile subscription per person. With a market that crowded, managing network speeds is critical.
"It's not like 20 years ago when there was only 20 percent penetration. Service providers offered a few bells and whistles, but didn't have to do much to grow. Now, there needs to be something completely disruptive," Paltridge says.
Pricing is a tool that providers can use to keep ahead of demand, Paltridge says, but a disruptor is on the horizon: driverless cars. With each driverless car estimated to use as much data as 3,000 average mobile subscribers, airwaves may become as clogged as highways if countries aren't prepared with the correct infrastructure.
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