How 'data hogs' are swamping the phone networks: Just 1% use HALF the world's data, say researchers



1 per cent of users use HALF world's download data

Tiny group ensure networks can't meet demand

Service will get worse in 2012, say researchers

10 per cent of users use 90 per cent of data



Study of 1.1 million phone users over 24 hours



Phone users who find themselves unable to connect to their emails finally have someone to blame - a tiny group of 'data hogs' who demand so much that networks can't deliver services such as emails to normal phone users.



One per cent of mobile network users now use half of all downloaded data, according to a study of one million European phone network users.

Arieso predicts that the 'overloads' of demand on mobile phone networks will mean that service will worsen in 2012. The company predicts a 'capacity crunch' where networks will no longer be able to deliver data services to their subscribers

T he top 10 per cent use 90 per cent of the world's bandwidth, according to the study by UK research group Arieso. The figures have increased dramatically since 2009.



In 2009, three per cent of users consumed 40 per cent of data. Now the same group consumes 70 per cent.



Arieso said, ' Arieso’s new analysis reveals that so-called ‘extreme’ users are becoming even more extreme, with 1% of subscribers now consuming half of all downloaded data.'

Arieso predicts that the 'overloads' of demand on mobile phone networks will mean that service will worsen in 2012.

The company predicts a 'capacity crunch' where networks will no longer be able to deliver data services to their subscribers.



The extreme users are dominated by people using laptop 'dongles' to use PCs on the move - 64 per cent use laptops. Around a third use smartphones.



'Fuelled by new smartphones, apps and services, consumer demand for mobile data is accelerating beyond expectations. One thing is clear: the capacity issues plaguing mobile operators around the world will worsen in 2012.'

Arieso says that mobile networks are facing 'unrelenting pressure' - and that the demands of a tiny group of 'extreme' phone users mean that they can't offer normal phone users a reliable service.



Users of Apple's iPhone 4S were particular 'data hogs' as are users of Google's new Nexus handset.

'Users of the iPhone 4S demand three times as much data as iPhone 3G users and twice as much as iPhone 4 users,' says Dr Michael Flanagan, the study's author.

