Voice vs. Data: Estimating Media Usage and Network Traffic

Title: Voice vs. Data: Estimating Media Usage and Network Traffic

Research Question: How do real users' media usage estimates convert to bits, and how do these estimates compare to popular conception that data traffic nearly or already exceeds voice traffic?

Methodology: The study surveyed two groups of students in New York City and Los Angeles, asking them to estimate their media usage for a typical day within the past 7 days. The media categories included telephone (wired and wireless), cell phone, internet, television, radio, music, newspaper, magazines, and books. The students were asked to estimate their total use for that day for each media category.

Results: The survey results showed that telephone usage (wired and wireless) was nearly an hour per day, converting to bits, it was much greater than data traffic over the internet. The graduate business students spent an average of 58.1 minutes speaking on the telephone and 19.1 minutes on the cell phone, while the undergraduate students spent 51.1 minutes on the telephone and 15.5 minutes on the cell phone. In terms of data traffic, the graduate business students sent 16.1 e-mails and received 50.5 e-mails, while the undergraduate students sent 3.6 e-mails and received 10.5 e-mails. The graduate business students visited 11.6 Web sites, and the undergraduate students visited 7.3 Web sites. In terms of downloads, the graduate business students had an average of 0.5 software downloads and 0.5 A/V downloads, while the undergraduate students had an average of 0.9 software downloads and 4.2 A/V downloads.

Implications: The study's findings suggest that user-generated voice traffic exceeds data traffic when converted to bits. This is a significant finding as it contradicts the popular conception that data traffic nearly or already exceeds voice traffic. The study also provides valuable insights into the media usage habits of students in New York City and Los Angeles, which can be used to better understand and cater to the needs of this demographic.

Link to Article: https://arxiv.org/abs/0109007v2 Authors: arXiv ID: 0109007v2