Americans consumed 26 percent more data in 2014 than they did in 2013, according to a new report released by mobile trade group CTIA.
Unsurprisingly, mobile and tablet users accounted for most of that data, totaling 4.1 trillion megabytes in 2014.
"Americans enjoy the best wireless experience in the world, from the fast 4G/LTE networks that are available to more than 98 percent of the country to the trend-setting devices and countless apps created every day. CTIA's annual survey demonstrates that wireless consumers rely and enjoy their mobile connectivity more than ever, and, to meet those needs, wireless carriers annually invest tens of billions into our world-leading wireless industry," said CTIA CEO Meredith Attwell Baker.
The report highlights the growing use of apps and services that use a lot of bandwidth. Video streaming websites such as Netflix and YouTube, for example, take up huge amounts of data, especially when the user decides to binge-watch Game of Thrones from episode 1.
Of course, even services like Facebook are using an increasingly large amount of data, especially because of the fact that they now automatically play videos and are incorporating more complex features.
Of course, the report also highlights how much time people are spending on their mobile devices. In fact, the CTIA found that, on average, 7.7 million megabytes of data are being used by Americans every minute, with 3.6 million text messages being sent and 300,000 videos being shared.
The number of households only using smartphones rather than landlines also rose last year, sitting at 44 percent, up from the 39 percent in 2013. In fact, Americans own approximately 355 million mobile devices. Compared with the population of 321 million, that signifies a mobile penetration rate of 110 percent, more than one device per person. This is likely due to the interest in devices like tablets over the last five years.
Carriers are, of course, feeling the pressure from the growing mobile usage, with over 100 changes in prices being launched from carriers last year. Customers also began to seriously embrace plans in which handsets were paid off on a month-to-month basis, plans that typically come with lower pricing for mobile service. This was arguably launched by T-Mobile, prompting the likes of Sprint, AT&T and Verizon to at least somewhat follow suit.
"The year-over-year pressure of skyrocketing mobile data and device growth highlights the need for a long-term national spectrum plan so that Americans continue to enjoy new and innovative wireless offerings," continued the company in its statement.
