Peak-Hour Data Consumption Dominated by Video Entertainment, Globally

Peak hour data consumption in the Asia-Pacific region is driven by the use of real-time entertainment, representing 49.6 percent of total downstream traffic during peak period, and up from 47 percent in 2015.

Asia- Pacific’s traffic composition is for the most part similar to that of leading networks in Europe and North America. After streaming audio and video, web browsing and social networking round out the top-three traffic categories in the region.

In most regions around the world, real-time entertainment is the most dominant traffic category. That observation tends to correlate with use of 4G networks: as 4G usage rises, so does consumption of entertainment video.

Real-time entertainment in Africa now accounts for 18.1 percent of peak downstream traffic, an increase from 8.6 percent in 2015, according to Sandvine.

That is a result of wider availability of Long Term Evolution 4G networks, and use of smartphones, Sandvine suggests.

Web browsing accounts for 31.4 percent of downstream traffic in Africa.

WhatsApp now generates over seven percent of network traffic, while Viber represents 3.2 percent of traffic. Within 18 months, YouTube could become the lead application across Africa.

Across the Middle East, real-time entertainment is the leading source of traffic, accounting for over 37 percent of peak downstream traffic. Social networking accounts almost 20 percent of traffic in the region.

During evening hours. Facebook and web browsing are among the top three applications. an identical order to that observed on North American networks.