I wonder..
How much of that data is simply ad traffic which is free and easy to block on PC, but often requires paid-for apps on mobile devices?
In something of a sign of the times, smartphone and tablet traffic has overtaken desktop web browsers. According to StatCounter, in October mobile and tablet data accounted for 51.3 per cent of internet usage worldwide whereas desktop traffic was just 48.7 per cent. We're kinda surprised it hasn't happened already. A graph …
but Netflix on a mobile phone consumes much less bandwidth...
This illustrates why those stats might be a little misleading as they may mean that the desktop usage is 10-fold exaggerated compared to the mobile usage.
So what counts as a desktop versus a tablet?
Are they analysing user agents for web requests, or something to do with screen resolutions?
Does a 12" tablet count as a tablet but a 12" eeepc (remember them?) as a desktop?
Lies, damn lies, statistics and report headlines!
(mine's the one with the latest election polling figures in the pocket... no, for our parish council referendum - Don't be silly, we don't have a president!)