Data Hungry Google Android Drowns Network
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Google Android phones sap the most data from the telecom network and operators will have to brace themselves for potential network overloads, says an industry study.
The study by Arieso ranks Android OS software as the most “data hungry,” as a greater number of background processes on Android-run handsets and the growing popularity of apps hog network capacity.

“We’ve seen a multitude of popular new smartphones arrive on the market, successfully driving app and service usage. It’s a trend that’s set to continue,” says Michael Flanagan, CTO of Arieso.

“[Operators] are risking rising operational costs, and delivering a sub-par quality of service to customers.”

The study also revealed the shift from the mobile as a calling device to a computing and web browsing device. The shift in consumer patterns shows that new smartphone users are more likely to download on their phone than call out with it.

A similar strain on networks was seen in 2008 when the iPhone pushed US telecom, AT&T’s EDGE network to its limit. Back then, smartphone users were consuming around 100MB of data per month. Today, that average has risen to nearly 500MB a month on average.

A separate study by ChangeWave Research earlier this year indicated that Google Android was the fastest growing OS over the first quarter, with a stronghold in consumer interest for future smartphone buys. While Google’s Nexus S phone slumped in the market, successful mobile brands like HTC have pushed the software ahead.