EE, the largest mobile operator in the United Kingdom (UK) released findings from its latest 4GEE Media Living Index, showing that 13% of its 4G customers now have an additional hour to spare during the day as a result of being more productive using the highspeed internet. The findings, which are based on EE's network data and inputs from 1,000 of EE's 4G subscribers, also showed that there were huge improvements in work efficiency as a result of having 4G access and that more people have benefitted from being able to conduct a host of daily transactions efficiently using their mobile internet.
The 4GEE Media Living Index indicates that 77% of 4G users are now working more efficiently with 16% having doubled their productivity while 68% of those without a work phone leveraging their personal 4G connection to facilitate their work. In terms of using the internet to support their daily needs, users increased their use of online banking and social media by 6%, mobile shopping by 5%, music streaming by 5% and news site browsing by 4%.
Overall, data usage on EE's 4G network increased by 66% in the last 12 months, taking over the use of data on 3G networks on EE's both Orange and T-Mobile brands. At present, there are 4.2 million users on EE's 4G network. The survey highlighted that with the availability of 4G, users are less likely to use public Wi-Fi and home broadband services. Both segments were hit by the rise in the use of 4G, with the number of customers using less or none of these services reaching 54% and 30% respectively. In terms of 4G network traffic, the use of social media saw an increase of 14% in terms of traffic. Other popular applications on 4G is the Tango free messaging service that accounted for 16% of instant messaging traffic on 4G and Apple Maps which accounted for 70% of mapping traffic.
“With more than four million customers and over a year of data, we’re in a unique position to understand how 4G is changing the way people use their devices for work and play. It is key that we continue to extend the social and business benefits of 4G to as many people as we can. We remain on track to cover another ten million people with 4G this year, bringing change to even more people across the UK.”
- Olaf Swantee, Chief Executive, EE
"EE’s research provides a fascinating insight into how we use our smartphones and tablets. A 66% rise in average monthly data use in just 12 months is a remarkable leap and shows the difference 4G is making to how we use our mobile devices. The rollout of 4G is crucial for the UK’s digital infrastructure and will have a real impact on our daily lives.”
- Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy, United Kingdom
