Global mobile traffic is forecast to increase 66-fold between 2008 and 2013, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 131% over that same period.

According
to the Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Mobile Forecast for
2008-2013—which provides key findings on a variety of IP networking
trends (driven largely by the increased use of mobile broadband
applications)—these projections reflect a transformation in the
fourth-generation (4G) mobile Internet that will enable consumers to
view more mobile video and access a variety of mobile broadband
services.



Additional key findings from the Cisco VNI Mobile Forecast:



• Global mobile traffic will exceed two exabytes per month by 2013.

• Global mobile data traffic reached one exabyte per month in half the time as fixed data traffic.

• Nearly 64% of the world’s mobile traffic will be video by 2013.

• Mobile video will grow at a CAGR of 150% between 2008 and 2013.

• Mobile
broadband handsets with higher than 3G speeds and laptop air or data
cards will constitute more than 80% of global mobile traffic by 2013.

• Latin America will have the strongest mobile growth at 166% CAGR, followed by the Asia-Pacific region at 146%.

• Asia-Pacific will account for one-third of all mobile data traffic by 2013.



As a reminder, 1 exabyte is equal to 1 billion gigabytes and 1000 petabytes, or 250 million DVDs.