Trustive's 2012 Commuter Profile and Mobile Data Choices

LONDON - May 17, 2013 - PRLog -- Traffic & devices
Trustive’s traffic increased by 100% between 2011 & 2012 & its WiFi footprint by 60% to include 500,000 premium hotspots. In 2012, Trustive’s traffic was concentrated in Europe (65%) & Latin America (30%). This significant increase in traffic is the result of:

- Evolution of mobile usage from voice centric to data centric
With mobile usage evolving away from voice & towards data traffic, Trustive continues to see increases in WiFi usage, particularly in Europe where consumers are plagued by 3G data plan restrictions, saturated networks & high prices.

Trustive aims to provide travellers with premium WiFi coverage whenever & wherever they need it in order to offer a viable mobile internet data access solution. Trustive therefore plans to concentrate on developing its premium WiFi network in Latin America & particularly in Brazil (in preparation for the upcoming 2014 World Cup & the Olympics in 2016) as well as to optimise its existing European network.

- Multiple devices are the norm & commuters rely more on smartphones (45%) and tablets (5%).
In previous years, Trustive has responded to customer demand by allowing customers to use their WiFi passes on multiple devices. Pre 2010, the norm was one device, usually a laptop. In 2012 Trustive observed a significant evolution in usage with an average of 3 devices per user, a pattern which has also been observed by some of our partners. In 2012, commuters travelled with smartphones (45%), laptops/notebooks (50%) & tablets (5%).

Usage pattern
There is strong interest from the OTT (Over The Top) companies such as Skype, Facebook, YouTube & others for viable mobile data & WiFi solutions. Skype calls or video communications are possible via WiFi at very low costs, appropriate when you are far away. With the rise of WebRTC another boost in traffic is a real possibility.

As people are becoming more addicted to mobile data (via their apps & social networks) & the concept of “Bring Your Own Device” grows in popularity, WiFi usage now reflects a real mix of business & leisure activities. Emails are just one aspect of a spectrum that now includes video streaming, social networks, online games, conference calls & now the uploading of photos &/or videos to share in real-time, particularly during events.

The average length of a WiFi session in 2012 was around 50 minutes with an average exchange of 70MB per session.  On one side, Trustive witnessed the average Skype session lasting just 12 minutes, with an average data exchange of 11MB. On the other hand, WiFi usage in some of Trustive’s hotel venues, where video streaming is of course very popular, could easily register 300MB in just 10 minutes. In fact, Trustive’s hotel venues alone have seen a jump in the average data consumption per session between 2011 and 2012 of 68%.  

At the most extreme end of the scale, Trustive has recorded WiFi sessions ranging from 2 to 7+ hours, with a data exchange of 12 to 14GB per session. Such sessions were observed at premium hotspots (mainly hotels & conference centres) where location, high speed broadband, security & quality management are key. Whilst extreme by current standards, Trustive considers such sessions to be indicative of how the users’ growing appetite for data consumption will transform WiFi in the future.

Imagine the price of such 3G data sessions abroad!

During 2012, commuters downloaded an average of 60MB per session & uploaded an average of 10MB. However, the trend to share photos &/or videos with friends in real-time via social networks is changing this pattern already.

It is relatively easy to foresee the balance of traffic in the short to medium term, with serious increases in the uploading of data (due to the sharing of photos & videos during events for example); similar observations have been reported during the Super Bowl and the London Olympics. Trustive has great presence & traffic in Brazil & therefore expects to see serious growth in this region during the upcoming Football World Cup & Olympic games.

Lessons learned from 3G
Cellular networks offer seamless access, generally good coverage & handover. However when it comes to low density or high density areas, users face issues such as lack of coverage or saturation of bandwidth.

In central London or central Paris, it is common for users to gravitate towards bars or cafés in order to take advantage of their WiFi access because the 3G network is saturated. In the countryside there is the EDGE signal but then users face the same issue.

In addition, commuters worry about their data plans. They have been briefed by domestic operators to conscientiously switch off their smartphones’ data roaming capabilities the moment they cross the border in order to avoid outrageous international data roaming prices & subsequently, the nasty surprise of an expensive invoice upon their return home.

Economic pressure is forcing commuters to travel more & further afield in order to find new customers. The shift towards smartphones, tablets & accessing data in the “cloud” implies a need for more bandwidth at a reasonable cost & budget control wherever the commuter may be.

The reality is that mobile costs are significant. A trip may combine costs for access via multiple devices, involve domestic &/or international mobile data plans, the purchase of WiFi day passes at the different venues & travel hubs visited, all of which will be charged at different rates and potentially in different currencies. On top of the associated costs, there are several barriers to the adoption of public WiFi hotspots, such as authentication procedures, discovery of available networks & security. One UK operator recently reported that only 20% of its users access the free public hotspots available to them.

WiFi growth & the associated challenges
According to the WBA, the number of public WiFi hotspots is set to more than triple by 2015, to reach a predicted 5.8 million.

The abundance of WiFi hotspots should not in any way detract from the difficulty associated with accessing hotspots in Asia & Europe due to multiple portal designs in different languages & the local implementation & interpretation of standards.

Seamless access that simplifies the user experience through a single & secure login for multiple devices, cost & budget control are all clear requirements addressed to Trustive & to mobile operators, to be fulfilled through clear a roaming plan & simple tools to connect.

This is why Trustive considers roaming to be a true opportunity in the immediate future. Although there are 340 million roaming trips per year, the number of users that make use of international WiFi is in the region of a few hundred thousand. This constitutes a major missed monetization opportunity for the present WiFi ecosystem.