New research predicts that 4G will account for 56.1% of total mobile data traffic in South Africa by 2019, compared to 15.7% at the end of 2014, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 110%.<\/p>\n
The average 4G smartphone will generate 7,191 MB of traffic per month by 2019, compared to 3,727 MB for non-4G smartphones.<\/p>\n
According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Mobile Forecast, Wi-Fi offload traffic will surpass mobile traffic in South Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cOffload\u201d refers to traffic from dual mode devices and supports cell and Wi-Fi connectivity, excluding laptops, over Wi-Fi and small cell networks.<\/p>\n
In South Africa, 36% of total mobile data traffic was offloaded in 2014; by 2019, 46% of total mobile data traffic will be offloaded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge is not about getting Wi-Fi facilities to South African citizens but rather about ensuring that high speed internet is available not only in homes and offices but also public places like shopping centres,” said Vernon Thaver, CTO, Cisco in South Africa.<\/p>\n
“The findings highlight that service providers in South Africa have immense opportunities to innovatively deliver a variety of mobile services and experiences to consumers and business users as the Internet of Everything (IoE) continues to take shape.”<\/p>\n
Key Highlights from South Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n In South Africa, 4G connections are expected to grow 14-fold from 2014 to 2019 at a CAGR of 69 percent. By 2019, 4G connections will be 23.2% of total mobile connections compared to just 2.2% in 2014.<\/p>\n This will largely be led by the growing number of smart connections in South Africa, which are expected to increase to 62 percent of mobile connections by 2019, from 21% in 2014.<\/p>\n In South Africa, the amount of traffic offloaded from 4G will be 46% by 2019, compared to 40% at the end of 2014.<\/p>\n Of all IP traffic generated in South Africa in 2014, 57% was Wi-Fi and 13% was mobile. By 2019, 59% will be Wi-Fi and 32%will be mobile.<\/p>\n In South Africa, 4G tablet traffic will be 93% of total tablet traffic by 2019, compared to 56.5% at the end of 2014, Cisco said.<\/p>\n Increase in 4G Connectivity in South Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n Many service providers are deploying 4G technologies to address consumer and business users\u2019 strong demand for wireless services and content.<\/p>\n South Africa\u2019s \u201c4G\u201d growth projections<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Neotel spectrum not enough for 4G: Vodacom<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n
More on mobile in SA<\/h3>\n