Mobile broadband data usage continued to grow in the first half of 2011, according to new research from Allot Communications.

In its latest MobileTrends Report, the telecoms solutions firm claimed mobile data bandwidth usage increased by 77 per cent between January and the end of June, with significant growth recorded in video streaming, which rose by 93 per cent.

According to the organisation, streaming is the single largest form of data usage, taking up 39 per cent of all mobile bandwidth.

Leading online video platform YouTube was the most popular destination for mobile broadband users, attracting 22 per cent of bandwidth and more than half of all video streaming.

Social media sites Twitter and Facebook also enjoyed a surge in usage, growing by 297 per cent and 166 per cent respectively. Facebook's own statistics have revealed the service has more than 750 million active members who spend over 700 billion minutes per month using the site.

Commenting on the report, president and chief executive of Allot Communications Remi Hadar said web-based streaming applications have continued to shift the "balance of power" away from the network operators and towards app and content providers.

"This presents a real challenge for survival to which operators have already begun to respond," he remarked.

"We are seeing operators taking the opportunity to evolve their service plans, away from 'unlimited' and towards application-aware models, in order to meet this challenge."

Allot's report comes just a matter of days after the BBC announced plans to chart current levels of mobile broadband provision across the UK.

In collaboration with Epitiro, the broadcaster has launched a smartphone application that will allow consumers who download it to measure the 2G and 3G coverage available in their area.

"As mobile broadband is important to many of us, we hope people volunteer and make the project a success," said Epitiro chief executive Gavin Johns. 

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