Cisco: Mobile internet devices will ‘outnumber humans this year’

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — We’re not sure if this is really cool or really scary — but a report from Cisco said the number of smartphones, tables, laptops and internet-capable phones will outnumber humans in 2013.

That report said the amount of internet-connected devices will exceed 7 billion — the world’s current population.

With that growth comes a downfall: increasing strain on the internet’s infrastructure, Cisco said.

Here are some fast facts, courtesy of Cisco:

• Mobile video already makes up more than half of the data transmitted worldwide. By 2017, it will make up two-thirds of it.
• Smartphones make up 92 percent of global mobile data traffic, despite only 18 percent of the handsets in use globally.

As previously announced, it’s predicted by 2017 the average smartphone will generate 2.7 gigabytes of data a month — tenfold from what it is today.

You can read more about the findings from Cisco.