Three apps generate the majority of Android traffic, the average Instagram video is 1.8 times larger than the average Vine video, and mobile advertising accounts for 1.6 percent of iOS data traffic and 2.2% of Android mobile data traffic, it has been revealed.
These are just some of the key findings from the new Citrix’s Mobile Analytics Report.
The study, for the fourth quarter of 2013, also shows that Facebook generates substantially less traffic on Android devices than on iOS devices.
Looking at the impact of advertising on mobile networks, Citrix has said that with the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, mobile advertising has seen significant growth and today accounts for 1.6 percent of iOS data traffic and 2.2% of Android mobile data traffic, an increase from one and two percent, respectively, as reported in Q1 2012.
In the Q1 2013 Mobile Analytics Report, it was revealed that three out of ten mobile subscribers are served ads, and that a single video ad is ten times larger than an image-based ad. The current report further reveals that subscribers are served image-based ads twenty times more frequently than video-based ads, a ratio that is likely to change to include much more video ad content in the months and years ahead, as suggested by the November 1st rollout of the first video ads on Instagram.
"The Mobile Analytics Report offers an up-to-date look into current subscriber and content ecosystem trends and, consequently, serves as a preview of the changes operators around the world will begin to see on their own networks," said Mark Davis, senior director of product marketing, Service Provider Platforms, Citrix.
"We’ve been tracking many of these trends since their inception including, for example, changes in leading mobile video formats. Since 2010, we’ve seen a shift from FLV, a laptop-centric format, to MP4 and DASH, which are smartphone-centric formats. Operators can leverage this type of information to better ensure a great user experience. At a macro level, the report findings reflect not just the worldwide proliferation of smartphones but the pervasive nature of mobile video in everyday life and commerce."
When it comes to the top mobile apps on Android, three apps – Media Player, Mobile Browser and Google Play — generate 83% of mobile data volume on Android devices with Media Player accounting for more than half. This is comparable to the 82% of data volume associated with the top four apps on iOS devices – Media Player, Safari, App Store, and Facebook – as reported in the second-quarter 2013 Mobile Analytics Report. With one percent of data traffic and three percent of transactions, similarly, eBay did not cross the one percent transaction threshold on Android devices, as it did on iOS devices.
Furthermore, in June 2013, photo sharing platform Instagram responded to Vine’s video service by offering 15-second videos, which have quickly grown to represent between 15 and 30 percent of all Instagram data traffic on mobile networks.
