For those assuming the iPhone is to blame for the influx of mobile data consumption happening on AT&T’s network, a new survey suggests Verizon users consume more mobile data on average, per month, than AT&T users — by almost 100 MB.
According to the survey, published by Validas, Verizon smartphone users generally use 421 MB of data per month, compared with 338 MB per month for Apple iPhone users. In addition, 4% of Verizon smartphone customers consume more than 2 GB of data per month, compared to just 1.6% of AT&T’s iPhone users. This is interesting data that comes on the heels of AT&T getting rid of its unlimited data plans, opting instead for a 2 GB cap at the high-end. Verizon will likely do the same very soon.
“The key detail in this study that drives the average is that, by percentage, nearly twice as many Verizon Wireless smartphone users are consuming 500 megabytes to 1 gigabyte per month compared to AT&T iPhone users,” said Ed Finegold, executive VP for Validas, in a prepared statement. “More than 11% of [Verizon] smartphone users fall into this category, versus just 5.6% of iPhone users.”
The surge of iPhones on AT&T’s network has been to blame for the not-so-great service that many customers claim, especially in areas like San Francisco and New York. As this data suggests, Verizon is not only dealing with more mobile data consumption, but is doing so without interrupting service as much as its counterpart — at least not yet.
AT&T may be overrun with iPhones, but Verizon is increasingly being overrun with widely popular Android devices such as the Droid Incredible and Droid X. One thing’s for sure, the world of mobile data and those who provide it should continue to get more interesting.
