Only 6% of iPad App Sessions Use Mobile Broadband

Only about six percent of Apple iPad sessions appear to use a mobile broadband connection, according to Localytics. Recent estimates indicate that a larger proportion of new iPads are being sold with the ability to use mobile broadband. But it still appears that most people, most of the time, use Wi-Fi.

Anecdotal reports suggest one of the reasons why Wi-Fi seems to dominate tablet use: users simply run through their data allotments too quickly when watching video on their tablets. Also, few users so far seem to want to spend the extra money on one more mobile broadband connection.

When a user owns multiple mobile devices, all of which benefit from mobile broadband, and when all require a mobile broadband plan, costs become significant fairly quickly. The fixed network broadband model of "one connection, many devices" seems to make more sense than the "each device, a separate connection fee" model now used by mobile service providers.