Which countries use the most mobile data?
Access to mobile broadband Internet in OECD countries continues to expand and will soon reach 100% of its population according to the latest OECD report on the outlook for the digital economy. Smartphones have contributed significantly to the development of mobile Internet, although operators limit the amount of data available.
The most mobile bandwidth hungry users can found from Finland, where all three major operators were ranked among the top 10 in terms of mobile data consumed per user. The #1 spot in the world goes to Finnish operator DNA. DNA’s users used a whopping 19.8GB of data per user, per month, during the first half of 2018.
To put this into comparison, the top operator in the United States (in terms of mobile data used per month) was U.S. Cellular, whose users used, on average 2.1GB of mobile data each month.
After Finland’s DNA, the number two operator in the world was Zain Kuwait. Zain’s users in Kuwait used 15.7GB data each month, but that figure is based on 2017 data. The third place in the ranking chart goes to 3 Austria. 3’s users in Austria used 18.4GB of data in H1 of 2018 (up from 15.4GB in 2017).DNA, just like all other major Finnish operators, offers unlimited, unmetered mobile deals with fixed monthly fee. Typically only the bandwidth tier effects the price, with typical bandwidth tiers starsting from 100Mbps. As the monthly cost of mobile data connection is typically significantly lower than that of fixed DSL line, many people get mobile connections also as their primary home internet connections in Finland. Same is true also for most other countries making it to the top: fixed, relatively cheap prices and (virtually) no bandwidth or data caps whatsoever.
All the bandwidth usage data is “per SIM” basis, so in many cases, the “per person” mobile data consumption can be significantly higher. Which countries use the most mobile data?
Top 10 countries Which countries use the most mobile data?
10. Ireland
Ireland’s mobile market is dominated by Vodafone Ireland and 3 Ireland, with the local Eir Mobile lagging behind both of the two established names.
In addition to having strong national mobile infrastructure, Ireland is currently implementing its National Broadband Plan, aiming to radically change the telecoms landscape within the country.
9. Poland
Poland’s market has been characterised by a rapid extension and development of its LTE networks in recent years, part of the reason why it features in the top 10.
This has largely been led by Polkomtel, who’s LTE-A infrastructure now provides 40% of population coverage.
8. South Korea
According to research conducted by data analytics firm Open Signal at the turn of the year, South Korea recorded the fastest mobile internet in the world at 37.5Mbps.
7. Iceland
Despite Iceland having one of the smallest economies in Europe, the country’s population consists of avid technology users.
As a result, new market entrants such as Nova and 365 have come to challenge the established names of Siminn and Vodafone. By 2016, 365 became the leading name in terms of subscribers in Iceland.
6. Estonia
Having benefitted from considerable investment from the country’s three key mobile operators; Telia, Elisa and Tele2, Estonia has one of the most advanced mobile markets in Europe.
Further developments are currently underway, with both Telia and Tele2 trialling 5G services in the country.
5. Denmark
Denmark has four key mobile network providers in 3’s Denmark branch, TDC, Telenor and Telia.
According to Open Signal, Denmark stood apart in 4G speed compared to the other Nordic countries, with speeds of 30.6Mbps compared to the regional average of 24.5Mbps.
4. Sweden
The Nordic region has one of the highest levels of 4G availability in the world, a significant reason why Finland, Sweden and Denmark all feature in the top 5.
One of Sweden’s key mobile operators, Telia, gained significant traction last year by marketing ‘zero rating’ offerings. Within this, customers are able to surf popular sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter without using any data from their data plans.
3. Austria
Austria’s mobile market is dominated by the three main operators of 3 Austria, T-Mobile Austria and Telekom Austria.
Mobile network innovation remains ever-present In Austria, with T-Mobile Austria having recently expanded IoT capabilities within the country, whilst 3 has been trialling pre-5G technologies in partnership with ZTE.
2. Latvia
Despite free Wi-Fi being provided by Lattlecom in a range of public places, Latvia still features second, using an average of 8.21gb per subscription monthly.
The country has four leading network providers; Amigo, Bite, LMT and Tele2.
1. Finland
Due to its significant infrastructure networks, Finland has some of the best access to mobile data across the world.
As a result, Elisa, the leading network provider in Finland, is able to offer tiered speeds for the use of 4G services, anywhere from 50Mbps to 300Mbps, with all offers from providers there including unlimited data usage.
