If you’re considering a data plan for a new iPhone, Nielsen’s latest study on average data usage for smartphones may help make a decision. Nielsen analyzed the cell phone bills of over 65,000 customers and found that the average data usage for smartphones is growing at rapid clip, increasing 89% year-over-year, from 230 MB per month in 2010 to 435 MB in 2011. Usage by the top 1% of data consumers grew to 4 GB a month from 1.8 GB in 2010, up 155%.
For data usage by OS type, Android phones used much more data per month, 582 MB, compared to the iPhone’s average of 492 MB.
