One hundred trillion

Last year in the US, wireless data traffic grew 36% year on year to 100.1 trillion megabytes (MB). For comparison, 100 trillion MB is roughly equivalent to 20 trillion songs, 33 trillion photos, or 25 billion HD movies. According the Cellular Telecommunications Information Association (CTIA), the jump in data traffic corresponded to the rise in faster 5G connections and the related use of wireless 5G as a substitute for wired home broadband service. If the US government ever follows through with threats to ban TikTok, it will be interesting to measure the resulting impact on wireless data usage in the days following the action.

Source: CTIA, September 2024