Move over iPhone users. We are now the new data hogs! It has been long said that iPhone users were nothing but data hogs and constantly constrained AT&T’s network, but now… Android takes away that title. Android is now the talk of data. Android users are the ones who could be pushing carriers to their limits by watching the majority of their videos via 3G rather than WiFi, this according to research done by Rhythm Network.
Around 72 percent of mobile video that is viewed on Android devices happen over the carrier networks and just 28 percent over WiFi. There is a significant gap between video watched between iPhone and Android users on these two networks. Research shows that iPhone users viewed 56 percent of their mobile video over 3G compared to 44 percent over WiFi.
If networks feel constrained now, imagine a year from today. With new and more powerful smartphones being released almost every week or month, expect carriers to crack down on consumers data usage. We have already seen the results of network strain within AT&T, as they have recently bogged down on their data plans. We can make a note that one reason why iPhone users use less 3G over Android users could be because of AT&T’s restrictions and the thought of limiting data even before the release of their new plans.
Currently, Android is outselling iOS and Blackberry devices, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Verizon, Sprint, and other network carriers limit their data in some form or fashion.
The research shows that mobile video viewing times have increased as well. There are more users watching full episodes of TV content, increasing 20 percent quarter-over-quarter. The resarch shows that after starting a full-length episode, 26.5 percent of users watched the whole episode on their mobile devices, and 41 percent watched at least half the episode.
I guess being on top in this case isn’t so much of a good thing. If networks follow in the path of AT&T and restrict our data, I will say it now: It was fun while it lasted.
[via newteevee]