Mobile Experts Chief Analyst Joe Madden comments: "We see the number of users at all levels increasing over the next 15 years, as well as data usage per user. The rise of video and other formats will drive massive demand for fast and abundant data, but just how fast and abundant? This report provides answers and charts the mountain of data the industry must climb to sustain growth.".
As new VR formats and other media mature, Mobile Experts anticipates a surge in data intensity. "No counterforce is pushing consumers to reduce their data consumption today, making a 100x growth factor in data consumption not only reasonable but realistic," notes the summary of the new report.
"The current mix of fixed and mobile data will continue to migrate to mobile devices over the next 15 years due to a combination of technological availability and human factors," adds Madden of Mobile Experts. "People want convenience. Now that the cost of mobile broadband is approaching the cost of fixed broadband, many users don't perceive a cost difference and will abandon their fixed connection in favor of a mobile-only strategy."
One of the key issues addressed in the report is the increased use of indoor data, and the ability of mobile networks to support high levels of capacity from outdoor infrastructure.
The analyst argues that, although the deployment of millimeter wave (mm-wave) and terahertz (THz) networks is expected with 6G, "a fundamental problem with indoor penetration will create a business model problem related to the deployment of indoor infrastructure.".
The new report assesses indoor data levels, the use of cognitive radio (CR) techniques for utilizing shared low-band spectrum, and the applicability of millimeter wave and terahertz spectrum. The research includes predictions on the likely growth of mobile traffic through 2035, with an analysis of how millimeter wave and terahertz bands can alleviate network congestion.
The report also examines competition between fixed and mobile broadband technologies, with an analysis of indoor and outdoor data growth.
