Video beginning to take off on wireless networks
Editor ©RapidTVNews | 24-10-2010
A new report by video optimisation firm Bytemobile has found that mobile video is just about emerging as a viable business for wireless networks but that next-generation wireless networks will deliver a ‘significant’ increase in video traffic.
Bytemobile’ s October 2010 Mobile Minute Metrics found that YouTube and Google Videos formed the most prevalent type of video on wireless networks, accounting for 48% of the total network video traffic. Significantly it found that the peak hours for data traffic on wireless networks had shifted from daytime to evening, a sign, said Bytemobile, of a transition in mobile data consumption from business usage to residential entertainment-based usage.
The potential effect of high speed wireless networks, such as the emerging WiMAX and LTE infrastructures, is shown by the fact that networks with slower end-to-end speeds show that an average of 39% of total data traffic is video-generated, while networks with higher available throughput show video traffic of nearly 60%.
Yet because such high-speed networks are not yet generally available, higher-resolution video is currently requested significantly less often than lower-resolution video. However it generates a similar amount of the total data traffic on the network - 31% compared to 39%.
Bytemobile suggests that this trend indicates that even a small increase in the number of users consuming higher-quality video – which is expected on higher-speed networks – will generate a considerably greater network traffic load thus necessitating operators to invest in technology to cope with extra loads.
“While not surprising, our findings in the 3Q 2010 Mobile Minute Metrics report indicate that we have only experienced the beginning of video’s impact on wireless networks,” said Joel Brand, vice president of Product Management at Bytemobile. “As operators continue to migrate to next-generation wireless technologies and realize faster network speeds, video traffic growth will also increase more rapidly. Video optimisation is an essential tool in the operator’s arsenal for managing this explosive growth while ensuring a quality experience to end users – and its value will only increase with future LTE networks.”
