In the context of the debate about fair share, the GSMA presents theUse of mobile networks in Latin America’, the first in a series of reports to contribute to the regional discussion with data and evidence. This initial report reveals a snapshot of mobile traffic in the region until May 2024, by company and type of content, em nível agregado e por subregião e/ou país. The most compelling conclusion of the study is that three companies ― Meta, Alphabet (Google) and TikTok generate more than 70% of mobile download traffic in Latin America. Meta concentrates almost 50%; Alphabet accounts for 14% and TikTok, 8%
The report also examines mobile traffic by type of use, access to social networks (41%), web browsing (29%) and streaming (19%) leading the list. This podium is repeated throughout the region, with some variations. In Central America and Mexico, for example, the order remains, but social media accounts for almost 60% of the total. In Argentina, Chile and Paraguay, streaming is above web browsing. In the Andean Region, streaming becomes the most popular type, representing 38% of the total. In Brazil, social media represents 40%, web browsing 30% and streaming represents the same percentage as messaging services (10%)
The common denominator in all three cases is the intensive use of video, in short or long format. The demand for data of this content will continue to increase with the advancement of resolutions (from HD to 4K, and eventually 8K) and the expansion of live-streamed events. Audiovisual content is one of the main drivers of sustained growth in mobile traffic, between 2016 and 2023, multiplied by 14. Only the annual growth in 2023 was greater than the total traffic volume in the region five years earlier, in 2018. By 2030, annual traffic is expected to grow by 22 exabytes (22 billion gigabytes) compared to the previous year, almost double the annual growth recorded in 2023, what happened to 12 exabytes. This increase will put even more pressure on the capacity of mobile networks
“When we see 70% of mobile traffic concentrated in three companies, one might think it is just a reflection of the users' choice. But a considerable part of this traffic is unsolicited, like the ads we see when opening our apps or videos in resolutions much higher than those we can appreciate on our devices”, points Lucas Gallitto, Director for Latin America, GSMA. “Today, the platforms do not pay for the costs of the traffic they monetize, what has a negative impact on the user experience, in the capacity of networks and in the environment. This highlights the need for fair share: a market mechanism by which large traffic generators contribute to the funding of networks, encouraging the more efficient use of this resource that belongs to everyone”
The report 'Use of mobile networks in Latin America' is available for download in Portuguese, Spanish and Englishhere.
