Social networking and tablets key web traffic drivers

06.04.2011
Social networking, video and browsing will be the major drivers of web traffic this year, according to a new study by research house Ovum, conducted jointly with Telecom Asia.

Social networking was included in Ovum's latest Mobile Broadband Industry Survey for the first time this year, and was marginally ahead of mobile video as the likely leading driver of traffic growth.

The study has also found that tablet computers are expected to be a key driver of traffic, ahead of netbooks and laptops and Ovum concludes that tablets and social networking services are key revenue growth opportunities for operators in the Asia-Pacific.

The Telecom Asia--Ovum online survey was conducted in December 2010 and January 2011 and had responses from 178 telecoms executives from more than 20 countries across Asia-Pacific.

According to respondents, social networking (31 per cent), video (30 per cent), and browsing (17 per cent) will be the applications that drive the majority of traffic growth in 2011.