Global mobile data traffic set to rocket by 2022

But will there be an uncontrollable explosion of voice and data costs?

Worldwide mobile data traffic is set to soar in the next few years, reaching 71 billion GB per month in 2022 – according to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report. In Western Europe alone, it’s predicted that networks will carry 9.5 billion GB of data traffic per month. Much of this has been driven by an ever-increasing reliance on smartphones for both personal and professional use – including the rise in popularity of apps – as well as growing smart device affordability.

Ericsson reports that 90 per cent of the monthly mobile traffic in 2022 will be carried on smartphones and the number of smartphone subscriptions is forecast to reach 6.8 billion; it’s also estimated that the average smartphone in Western Europe will consume 22GB per month by 2022. The largest application category is and will continue to be mobile video traffic – which is forecast to grow by around 50 per cent annually through to 2022 and will make up nearly three-quarters of all mobile data traffic. While social networking is expected to grow by 38 per cent annually over the next six years.

The next five years will also see LTE become the dominant access technology, reaching five billion subscriptions by 2022; growing from 8.8 billion GB per month in 2016 to 71 billion GB in 2022. This growth will likely be due to users looking for better experiences, with rapidly increasing video traffic the main driver. Meanwhile, the report predicts 5G subscriptions will exceed 500 million by the end of 2022.

So data usage will only continue to rise, but at what cost?  

In today’s world, where most people constantly rely on mobile data for emails, instant messaging, web surfing – and for apps as replacements for physical maps, cameras and banks – it’s easy for individuals to forget about the cost of the data they’re using. There’s a risk of unpredictable and extremely high costs for voice and data usage – if it’s not monitored. The risk can be exacerbated even further if users are making regular trips overseas with their smartphone. Despite the recent abolishment of EU roaming charges, this of course only applies to the EU (where costs have been reducing significantly for some time). This still leaves many worldwide destinations open to potentially excessive costs for data use.

It’s more important than ever to continually observe and control data usage. And while mobile tariff structures are a core component in controlling mobile telecommunications costs, effective monitoring and reporting services are also vital; particularly for businesses with hundreds or even thousands of mobile users.

By continuously monitoring user activity and receiving notifications when unbilled voice and data charges reach or exceed specified values, you can remain proactively in control of mobile expenditure. At Adam Phones, we invest in solutions that innovate how businesses manage their telecommunications costs. From enabling end users to monitor their own usage and optimise their tariff, to a centralised portal that provides companies with complete visibility and control of voice and data activity, we make sure our customers are prepared and in control of their costs – no matter how much their usage evolves.

If you need advice on how to manage mobile costs in the enterprise, please get in touch.