Santa Clara, Calif – Feb 13, 2013 – The Citrix ByteMobile Mobile Analytics Report published today for the first quarter of 2013, provides insights into subscriber behavior and related factors that determine quality of experience (QoE) for mobile data services today. The findings highlight subscriber behavior on various mobile applications and the impact this has on operator networks. In conjunction with the report, consumer survey findings were also published by the company to compare consumer perspectives against behavior patterns. The data points to a contrast between what mobile device owners think they know about their devices and plans, and what the reality is when consuming content.

“These findings are unique in comparing actual subscriber behaviors on wireless networks with what people think their usage patterns are like,” said Chris Koopmans, vice president and general manager of Service Provider Platforms, Citrix. “Combining the ByteMobile report with the consumer survey provides additional insight into subscribers’ views of their mobile experiences and the impact this behavior has on operators’ networks. This real-world data is further validation that network providers need to improve their subscribers’ mobile experience in order to differentiate their services and better monetize an increasing volume of traffic.”

The Mobile Analytics Report summarizes data traffic patterns from a global cross-section of Citrix ByteMobile customers’ mobile networks and provides insight into the current state of the mobile ecosystem. The report illustrates how subscribers use their wireless devices and the impact of such use on operator networks. It also reveals subscriber use of social networking and mobile health applications, quantifies the impact of advertising on the mobile network, and highlights Web video user experience statistics. Among the findings: 

Health apps and games dominate mobile traffic
People are increasingly using mobile devices to support health goals and track their fitness progress. Personal fitness applications dominate the category, generating 50 percent of the total mobile health related data traffic on wireless networks. Additionally, 39 percent of subscribers use a fitness specific application, while 47 percent use a pregnancy-related application. Interestingly, pregnancy monitoring applications generate nine percent of the total mobile health related data traffic on wireless networks.

Mobile gaming continues to be popular among subscribers. The report found that the three most popular games played while connected to a wireless network are Words with Friends, Temple Run and Angry Birds.

Video remains king of mobile traffic
The Mobile Analytics Report reveals that 20 percent of subscribers watch mobile videos on a given day, with 74 percent of consumer survey respondents seeking out most videos they watch. Of the videos consumed on mobile devices, 92 percent are low-resolution video at 360p or less. However, a majority of survey respondents (64 percent) said they thought they were viewing high-resolution video. This indicates a clear disconnect in the quality of video a subscriber thinks they are consuming versus the reality. The latest report further reveals that two out of 10 mobile subscribers watched video on mobile devices, generating more than 50 percent of the total mobile data traffic on wireless networks. Today, mobile video subscribers watch an average of two minutes of video content at a time, doubling the time spent consuming video as reported in the February 2010 Mobile Analytics Report.

The need for speed
In addition to video, mobile Web usage also consumes a large amount of mobile data traffic, and the consumer survey shows that people require speedy download times or they will abandon the effort. Nearly a third of survey respondents give up in eight seconds or less, pointing to the need for more mobile Web pages to download at this speed.

While approximately 50 percent of mobile Web pages download in eight seconds or less across wireless networks, 20 percent of pages requested take longer than 20 seconds to download. When it comes to a poor mobile Web experience, more than half (51 percent) of mobile device owners blame their provider, while 49 percent blame the website. The Mobile Analytics Report confirms that wireless networks across North America deliver the fastest Web page download times in the world.

Advertising consumes subscriber data allowance
The Mobile Analytics Report discovered mobile advertisements containing video content generate 10 times more data per advertisement than those without video. Interestingly, the report revealed the top four advertising networks, both by subscriber reach and total data volume generated, are owned by Google – Double Click, Google, Admob and 2mdn. For smartphone subscribers, mobile advertisements consume one percent of the total monthly data traffic generated. While minimal, this percentage is expected to increase as mobile advertising continues to grow.

Methodology 
The findings in the Citrix ByteMobile Mobile Analytics Report are generated from Smart Capacity™ Mobile Analytics, the company’s mobile data traffic reporting solution. The Mobile Analytics Report anonymously sources data traffic statistics from 3G and 4G networks of Citrix ByteMobile’s global tier-one customer base and provides insight into the current state of the mobile ecosystem. Its findings have been cited widely by industry market research firms and the media.

The consumer survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) on behalf of Citrix. It was distributed among 1,000 U.S. adult smartphone or tablet owners ages 18 and older, between January 8 and 15, 2013, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas were set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult smartphone or tablet owner population 18 and older.

Further Information

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Samantha Sharp
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