New study reveals how 4G is changing mobile behaviours

EE has released new research that combines statistics from the company’s super fast mobile network with a survey of its customers.

The 4GEE Mobile Living Index offers the first snapshot of the nation’s mobile 4G behaviour, providing insight into how faster mobile internet speeds are changing consumers’ habits.

Nearly 50% of customers said that they browse the web more on 4G than 3G, and over one in three said that they download apps, use GPS services and access social media more.

Two in three said that they are using mobile internet over 4G at least an hour a day, with 23% saying they are online via their 4G mobile devices more than three hours a day.

23% said that they use their home broadband less since switching to 4G, while 43% said that they use fewer or no public Wi-Fi hotspots.

The research also found that half of 4G customers own tablet devices alongside their smartphones, and that users are often using 4G devices as second screens.

“A large proportion of activity on our 3G network is web browsing, but on 4G customers enjoy traditionally fixed line activities such as shopping, watching movies and catching up with TV on their mobiles,” said Fotis Karonis, chief technology officer, EE.

“It is a real evolution, with a quarter of our customers now spending more than three hours a day on the mobile internet.

“What is really interesting is that with 4G upload speeds five times faster than home broadband, we are seeing social media use becoming more mobile and transforming faster than had been imagined.

“For the first time in the UK, the amount of data uploaded onto our network has surpassed downloads at major events such as the London Marathon and Baroness Thatcher’s funeral.”

EE predicts that data volumes over social media sites will increase tenfold by 2015.

The full report can be read here.