With mobile data usage surging, wireless industry trade association CTIA released a tool that lets consumers see how much bandwidth many popular apps use before they download them.
The site KnowMyApp.org measures 50 of the most popular free and paid apps, showing how many megabytes or gigabytes they suck up in relation to common smartphone data plan caps. Not surprisingly, video apps such as Netflix and YouTube are some of the biggest data hogs. But for consumers with a relatively small 300 MB data cap even a few sessions with Google Maps could max them out.
Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA, said the site will benefit consumers and app developers. “With experts predicting continued exponential growth of mobile technology, including apps, everyone – from consumers to developers – should work together to be responsible stewards of our networks and spectrum,” said Largent, a former congressman who once served on the Telecommunications Subcommittee.
CITA likens its tool to the FTC’s EnergyGuide ratings for appliances, but instead of energy it measures data usage. As experts have noted, for the telecom industry, the future may be all about data.
Mobile data usage in the United States nearly doubled in 2013 from 690 MB to 1.2 GB per month, according to a recent report by wireless industry consultant Chetan Sharma. Some users are even regularly exceeding four GB per month. Sharma blames the growth in part on the increase in high speed LTE technology and the popularity of phones with larger screens.
In the face of skyrocketing data usage, data caps are becoming a contentious point in the U.S. market. Leading carriers AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless offer plans with data caps, and their competitors who offer unlimited plans, T-Mobile US and Sprint, have been quick to point out the disadvantages of caps for customers.
All four carriers were members of the team that developed KnowMyApp, and the measuring tool might have more impact than simply informing consumers. It could encourage app-loving smartphone users to either switch to unlimited plans or buy plans with larger caps — especially those who like to watch videos on their phone. A single day of typical Netflix usage – that’s two sessions of looking for, adjusting and watching only nine minutes of a video – would suck up a 106% of a smartphone users four GB data plan, according to KnowMyApp.
