Measuring Mobile Data Service Usage and Traffic in Mobile Multi-Access Networks

New wireless access networks, managed by multiple operators, are emerging as alternatives to mobile cellular networks. Thus, having a holistic view on usage and traffic patterns will be increasingly difficult. A range of methods exist for collecting data on mobile data usage and traffic. Surveys and terminal measurements provide very detailed sample based data, whereas mobile network data is less granular but is based on an operator’s entire subscriber base. Server measurements give detailed data on usage patterns of a fairly focused user population. In the future of heterogeneous multiaccess networks, multi-radio terminals seem the most promising place to measure usage and traffic, while mobile cellular networks are likely to lose most as traffic partly leaks to other networks.