A report by Nielsen has found that smartphone users are now using 89 percent more data than they were a year ago. The average smartphone user used 435MB in Q1 2011 compared to 230MB in Q1 2010.
Nielsen also found that the top users have grown their usage even more. The 90th percentile of users used 109 percent more data than a year ago while users in the 99th percentile increased their data usage by 155 percent from 1.8GB a year ago to 4.6GB in Q1 2011.
Google Android is the top data consumption mobile operating system with an average of 582MB. It is followed by iOS (iPhone only) with 492MB, Windows Phone (317MB), Windows Mobile (174MB) and BlackBerry OS (127MB).
At the same time, Nielsen found that the price of data fell by nearly 50 percent. The average price per MB dropped from US$0.14 to US$0.08. As Nielsen points out, most users paying about the same as a year ago, suggesting that any savings in data plan cost reductions are offset by the increased usage.
With many carriers phasing out unlimited plans, it remains to be seen how these trends will change.