Apple’s iOS devices generate the most traffic on mobile networks in many mature markets, while the rest of the world relies on Android, according to research released this week.

Dawinderpal Sahota

March 25, 2014

2 Min Read
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Apple’s iOS devices generate the most traffic on mobile networks in many mature markets, while the rest of the world relies on Android, according to research released this week.

Findings from mobile content provider dotMobi’s Global Device Traffic Index, show that Android devices rank number one in terms of generating traffic on mobile networks in 67 of the 101 countries monitored while iOS is the dominant platform in the remaining 34 markets.

Apple’s iOS-based devices are most used in the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Scandinavia and the Benelux countries, said dotMobi. iOS devices accounted for 65.26 per cent of total non-desktop web in the UK, 62.72 per cent in the US, 73 per cent in Canada and 65 per cent in France, according to the research.

Central Europe, on the other hand, has been described as “a stronghold for Android browsing” by dotMobi. Germany, Austria, Hungary and Switzerland, as well as several countries in Southern and Eastern Europe, see Android based devices generating the most mobile traffic according to the research. India and Spain also skew towards Android as does South Korea, home nation of Samsung, which sees 74 per cent of mobile traffic coming from Android devices.

Nokia devices were ranked highly in generating mobile web traffic in Tanzania, India and Vietnam and Bangladesh, although in its home market of Finland Nokia devices generate just ten per cent of mobile data traffic. BlackBerry devices performed strongly in South Africa with 39.34 per cent of traffic and its devices are still widely used to browse the web in Canada and Britain, according to the research.

“Although Apple has a stronghold across major markets across the globe, its dominance is not guaranteed,” said Eileen O’ Sullivan, COO at dotMobi. “Apple is undoubtedly an aspirational brand, which delivers great products, however the cost of its devices may mean it loses market share in the long tail.”

“More and more consumers are connecting to the web via non desktop devices. However, these consumers may prefer to purchase a cheaper and trusted local brand that can deliver a similar user experience and functionality – but without the hefty price tag. If so, Apple’s future position as market leader may be at risk.”

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