Actix study into iPad and smartphone usage on 3G networks reveals the way we use mobile devices is changing

The vast majority of mobile traffic from smartphones and tablets comes from indoor usage, a study from Actix has found. By analyzing data from a live 3G network in a major city, the mobile network analytics and optimization specialist has found that only 5% of iPads are used outdoors and whilst iPads account for just 1% of data sessions, they use four times more data than an average 3G device. Using its Customer Experience Analytics solution, Actix studied live traffic, monitoring the location of key devices and the network load they generated.

Key findings from the study were:

• iPads account for less than 1% of all data sessions but make up over 4% of total traffic
• 95% of iPad usage is indoors
• 90% of traffic from the iPhone 4 and 80% from Blackberry devices is from indoor use