YNOT – By 2016, the world’s annual data traffic will reach 60,000 petabytes, more than seven times the 8,000 petabytes expected in 2011, according to new predictions from ABI Research. The most growth will occur in 2012 and 2013 — 58 percent and 56 percent, respectively — slowly slightly thereafter. While currently web and internet traffic including email and instant messaging comprise the largest categories of data, video traffic — particularly mobile video traffic — will drive future growth.

“There are basically two types of video-use cases that drive heavy traffic: clips from YouTube and similar sites that are often shared via other social media, as well as lengthier content like series and even films like Netflix,” ABI Research Practice Director Neil Strother said. “Video and TV streaming should surpass web and internet traffic in 2015.”

The bigger its screen, the more entertainment a device typically delivers and the more data it consumes. Laptops, media tablets and other devices larger than handsets mimic patterns seen in wired broadband usage, especially when it comes to video, according to Strother. The increasing uptake of such products is thus a major driver of data-stream increase. As a result, the traffic generated by devices other than handsets will grow from about 65 percent of the total in 2011 to more than 75 percent in 2016.

“Pricing and data policy are relatively inexpensive ways for operators to differentiate their offerings and ease network congestion, if compared to investments in infrastructure,” Senior Analyst Aapo Markkanen said. “Operators should better align the pricing and the allowance of data plans with usage patterns. It is an area with a lot of scope for innovation.”