What is Tablet Impact on Mobile Networks?

Mobile network planning is never easy, these days. Unlike fixed networks, that generally exhibit clear and stable usage patterns, mobile network demand can fluctuate unpredictability. 


Tablets are the new factor, as most mobile network bandwidth demand has been driven by PC dongles and increasingly by smart phones.


But tablets add a new unknown element. The simple answer is that, over time, "more" bandwidth will be consumed by tablet devices.


The issue is how much new demand will be created, and just as importantly, where and when that demand occurs.


And there arguably are significant differences in the way people use bandwidth, when out and about and when at home or in the office.

On one hand, possibly nine percent of mobile usage occurs when people are out and about. 


About nine percent of usage occurs when users are moving, the balance occurring either at stationary locations such as home or work.

As early as 2007, about 40 percent of total mobile traffic was generated in the home environment Informa Telecoms & Media has said. By 2013 in-home usage is expected to reach 58 percent, with about eight percent of total mobile traffic offloaded to fixed broadband, Informa predicted at that time.

In 2008, the home environment represented more than 43 percent of total mobile data traffic and Informa revised its forecast, estimating that in-home mobile usage would climb to 60 percent by 2013.

Mobile voice minutes of use in the home environment represented about 42 percent of total mobile voice traffic by the end of 2008. Mobile voice usage at home would gradually increase to reach 49 percent by 2013, Informa estimated.

Mobile use at work was estimated to represent 30 percent of usage, with nine percent of calls initiated while users were moving. About 21 percent of calls would be generated from other public environments. All of that makes planning difficult.

The good news is that users often simply do not have time to engage with applications that consume lots of  when on the move. On the other hand, at-home usage probably will look more like PC behavior. 

The new question is what impact tablets will have. Since most tablets now in the user base rely on Wi-Fi connections, the impact on mobile networks might be very slight. But it would be reasonable enough to assume that, over time, tablet consumption might start to resemble smart phone patterns. 

The good news there, for mobile network capacity planners, is that Wi-Fi usage will be offloaded traffic, and will have minimal mobile network impact. 

At-home tablet mobile network usage, though more substantial than "on the go" usage, at least will be more predictable.