Herzlia, Israel, June 29, 2011 – Flash Networks, a leading global provider of intelligent mobile Internet solutions, announced today its predictions for the top bandwidth consuming applications and peak hours throughout the globe, as a basis to forecast future traffic trends. Results show that high definition multimedia streaming and longer browsing sessions are putting significant strain on network resources, which will only intensify with increased penetration of the mobile Internet.
Flash Networks' study reveals that worldwide, streaming music and video are consuming more and more bandwidth when compared with traditional browsing. In North America, video as a percent of mobile traffic is fast approaching 50%, while in Asia, video is the largest contributor to network traffic, consuming 56% of the bandwidth.
One contributing factor is the proliferation of high definition video; the same video content on YouTube today consumes three times the megabytes compared with just a year ago. It is not surprising, therefore, that when video viewing was at its peak and no optimization was applied, network interrupts occurred for up to 20% of browsing attempts, demonstrating how excessive video traffic impacts user quality of experience.
In addition to richer and larger data files that need to be moved through the network, session length is also increasing in both the US and Asia. In North America, close to 5% of mobile sessions involve users viewing over 30 minutes of streaming video at a time. In Asia, this number is slightly lower but the positive trend is consistent.
The study also revealed that unlike Asia Pacific where there are peak traffic periods during commuting hours and lunch time, in North America traffic builds gradually throughout the day beginning at 7:00 AM, with peak hours from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM. This means that in North America network optimization may be required consistently throughout the day and not just before or after work hours.
This information was provided by Harmony Analytics, installed on operator networks worldwide for better network planning and more effective network optimization. Sophisticated network optimization solutions combined with Analytics enable operators to provide a consistently superior user experience, even during peak traffic periods.
“That video is dominating traffic on mobile networks isn’t surprising,” noted Peter Jarich, Service Director with Current Analysis. “Beyond the big trends, however, what’s important is the ability to understand and get insight into specific traffic mixes. Unless operators have a deep understanding of the traffic running across their networks, there’s no way they can hope to effectively monetize or optimize the user experience – making the most of their network assets.”
“Today mobile operators are being judged based on the speed of their browsing while at the same time richer high-definition content and longer browsing sessions are increasing the likelihood of degrading the user experience,” said Merav Bahat, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Flash Networks. “Operators can create a competitive differentiator by optimizing data using sophisticated techniques such as busy hour management, while ensuring a superior user experience with more cost-efficient capacity utilization.”
About Flash Networks
Flash Networks is a global provider of intelligent mobile Internet solutions that enable operators to improve quality of experience, reduce network operational expenses, and manage and monetize the mobile Internet. Providing a faster, safer, richer, and more personalized user experience, Flash Networks’ Harmony Mobile Internet Services Gateway helps operators achieve significant cost savings through intelligent data traffic optimization, and applies intelligent policies for targeted marketing and charging. With offices in Europe, Asia, and North America, Flash Networks' installed base of top-tier mobile carriers includes O2, Orange, SingTel Group, T-Mobile, Telefónica, and Wind. For more information, visit www.flashnetworks.com.
Contact Information:
Flash Networks
Naomi Rabbie
Phone: +972-9-961-0841
Mobile: +972-54-7744539
naomir@flashnetworks.com
Spicetree Communications
Monica Maron
Mobile: +972-545-429-529
monica.maron@spicetreecom.com