A mobile phone is initially built for wireless communication (call and text). A mobile network provider has to provide wireless cellular connection (also known as phone signal or network signal) to the device in order for wireless communication to be possible. This means that without cellular connection from a mobile network, your mobile phone cannot make and receive calls or send and receive text messages. Hence, all mobile phone users need to have cellular connection for calls and texts to go and come through between mobile phones.
Mobile network providers supply this wireless cellular connection through their own cellular towers. When you subscribe to a mobile network, you will receive a unique subscriber identification module (SIM) card containing unique details that would identify and link it to the mobile network provider. This small memory card is inserted in the SIM card slot that mobile phones are designed to have for that very purpose. With the SIM card already in your mobile phone, your device is now identified and linked to your chosen mobile network, making it possible for their cellular towers to provide your device that wireless cellular connection (network signal) you need for wireless cellular communication.
What Is Mobile Data – What Uses Data On A Cell Phone? A Detailed Explanation – Gadgetroyale
Mobile phones are widely known today as smartphones since more features were added and incorporated into the mobile device. These features made mobile phones “smart” with the added capabilities and functionality for the device to do more and beyond wireless cellular communication.
Today mobile network providers don’t only provide cellular connection for wireless cellular communication, but also use that cellular connection to create a link between mobile phones and the internet. However, that link doesn’t correspond to Internet access. In order for mobile phone users to actually use the Internet through their cellular connection, mobile data is needed.
What uses data on a cell phone? A detailed explanation – Gadgetroyale discusses mobile data and mobile data usage. For you to better understand how mobile data actually works, you have to know what your usual internet activities are and how much mobile data is needed for each activity. But before anything else, we first need to know what mobile data is. However, if you want to jump right into what uses data on a mobile phone, do read “What uses data on a cell phone? A detailed explanation – Gadgetroyale”.
Mobile data, otherwise known as cellular data, enables mobile phone users to access and use the Internet. It is measured using Gigabytes (GB), Megabytes (MB) and Kilobytes (KB). 1 GB contains 1000 MB or 1,000,000 KB. Whenever you access and utilize the Internet via your mobile phone, there is a certain amount of mobile data that you need to give up or use. So, even if you have cellular connection that links your mobile phone to the Internet, you cannot access and use the Internet without mobile data.
Mobile network providers offer their network subscribers Mobile Data Packs or Mobile Data Plans. These packs and plans vary from one provider to another. How much mobile data you need from your provider will depend on your what you use it for, how you use it, and how often you use it.
It is difficult for mobile data users to compute their mobile data consumption using Gigabytes and Megabytes, which is why data usage is quantified through minutes. To give you an idea how much and how far 1 GB or 1000 MB or 1,000,000 KB mobile data will bring you (on average), below are some common Internet activities done on mobile phones and how much data they use. This will also help you determine the amount of mobile data is most fitting to avail from your mobile network provider.
- Simple text email – 20 KB / email
- Email (with attachment) – 300 KB to 350 KB / email
- Music download – 4 MB / download
- Music streaming – 1 MB / min
- HD video streaming -15 MB /min
- Web browsing – 15 MB / hour or 2MB/page
- Facebook – 156 MB / hour
- Live stream on Facebook – 3.8 MB / min
- Instagram – 100 MB / hour
- Twitter – 360 MB / hour
- Online gaming – 3 MB to 300 MB / hour (depending on the online game)
- Mobile app download – 12 MB / download
- Watch YouTube videos at 1080p (highest video quality) – 20 MB / min or 3 GB / hour
- Watch YouTube video at 480p (standard/default video quality) – 8.3 MB / min or 500 MB / hour
- Watch YouTube videos at 144p video quality (lowest video quality) – 1.3 MB / min or 80 MB / hour