The Number Of Mobile Devices Will Exceed World’s Population By 2012 (& Other Shocking Figures)
Despite its long and boring name, Cisco’s “Visual Networking Index (VNI) Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update” is one of the more fascinating data-filled reports you’ll read this year. The report examines the dramatic growth we’re seeing in the mobile Internet space, including the massive demands for mobile data, the growth of mobile video, and the rise of the smartphone as new gateway to the web itself.
Globally, mobile data traffic grew 2.3-fold over 2011, more than doubling for the fourth year in a row. The traffic even grew faster than Cisco had earlier predicted: they had pegged growth at 131% year-over-year. In actuality, traffic grew by 133%.
In 2011, mobile data traffic was 8 times the size of the entire global Internet in 2000 (597 petabytes vs. 75 petabytes). That was only a dozen years ago, but it may as well have been eons.
It will be interesting to find out the actual deal that’s being done between the government and Google, which John Key has described as smart phones replacing the work currently done by our public servants.
These trends are pretty interesting and there’s no doubt that the handheld device will become the gadget of choice for most people as they become more affordable and getting access to data becomes easier.
Makes you wonder about the government’s big ultrafast broadband scheme, where Telecom (I mean Chorus) gets to dominate the roll out and Sky gets to dominate the content provision. Maybe Google will dominate the public sector, replacing Microsoft.
Maybe if the government cared to share their thinking with the public, and if the new communications Minister Amy Adams was willing to share her work programme over the coming months instead of keeping it all a big secret, we’d all be able to to discuss whether what’s being planned is a good idea. Cutting services and replacing people with smartphones seems to be the guts of it at the moment.
Maybe Google might care to share.
Unbelievable!
Google and its subsidiary Youtube are as vulnerable to accusations of copyright infringement as Megaupload was.
Like Megaupload, Google can be taken down without warning on the basis of untested accusations. Legitimate users will have to just suck it up.
The same goes for cloud computing.
I was appalled when I heard Key talking about this on Morning Report.
I thought ‘Yup, it really is true . . . John Key is CLUELESS.’
Trolling. Warned. Clare
I didn’t even know the unit ‘petabyte’.
But I guess it’s “ten to the power of 15″
Edit: …and I just learned this editor won’t let me type the html ‘sup’ tag, to express 15 as the exponent of base 10
Clare –
It suspect in this context, mobile devices includes tons of different technology, not just phones.
Either way, it’s a pretty staggering number.
Not sure what connection you are making between global mobile penetration and UFB though. Can you elabourate?
Yeah fair call on trolling, my bad, was an early morning impulse post sorry, although are we likely to see any post from Labour on that particular issue?
Regarding the replacement of people with online services, I went into the bank the other day, and realised when talking about redecorating that had been doen that it was the first time in over three years I’d needed to visit in person! Online services are more convenient for many matters. I have nil concerns with going down this path, with the caveat that the systems and processes are proven robust first!!
To save money, is Key seriously saying we should place all our secret tax records in the Google cloud?
“To save money, is Key seriously saying we should place all our secret tax records in the Google cloud?”
Perhaps, afterall it’s where key has his head most of the time.
Which is surprising and contrary to recent popular opinion, because many have always thought him like the ooslum bird with his head stuck far up elsewhere.
Yawn!
To correct my post, a petabyte is really 2 to the 50th power, or 1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes…I forgot that machines prefer base 2 arithmetic.
Your second last sentence was…
“Cutting services and replacing people with smartphones seems to be the guts of it at the moment”
Cutting services may lead to a reduction in people, but surely people are required to operate smartphones.
Computers did not IMO lead to a drop in employee numbers or less paper used etc etc…if anything, with an increased hunger for information, it has lead to more people employed??
It may lead to even more relocation of jobs to coutries with lower employment costs though???
What utterly fantastic news!
@Jennifer
! OMFG! 
I mean, didn’t google, like, just change its privacy terms and conditions?
That’s creepy!
Taxes and whatnot are kinda important! 
!!!!!!!
Just replaced your rather confusing use of “people” as if they were the same group.
@ Spud
yes, Google has just changed its privacy terms and conditions, and here is an interesting oped that came out in today’s Financial Times where security advisor Richard Falkenrath argues why
‘Users should have the right to change their minds as they learn the implications of that little box they unthinkingly ticked.’
Not so easy to do if Google are entrenched in the Public sector.
Google must remember our right to be forgotten
By Richard Falkenrath
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/476b9a08-572a-11e1-869b-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1mU9ehfDx
@Huggin – agreed
Ugh the world is so greedy. I wonder how many people will still have none, vs how many people will have far more than one person could ever logically need.
And imagine how hard it’s going to be to sustainably dispose of all of this.