Data traffic on mobile networks will grow almost 800% by 2018

The volume of data crossing U.S. mobile networks will grow almost eight-fold by 2018, and demand for Internet-connected devices will also skyrocket, according to a report released on Wednesday that poses questions about U.S. spectrum policy. U.S. consumers will download and upload more data on their smartphones in 2018 than they did on their laptops in 2013, according to a forecast by Cisco Systems Inc. Americans will continue to lead the world as earlier and faster converts to new smart devices and networks, the Cisco report said. “It’s more people, more connections, faster speeds on the networks and then more rich content, which in this case is video, video, video,” Robert Pepper, Cisco’s vice president for global technology policy, told Reuters.