Video data volumes on 4G networks are running at five times the level of 3G because subscribers are watching for longer, as well as viewing higher resolution content, according to a survey by cloud computing firm Citrix.

And subscribers appear to be aware of 4G’s superior qualities since there are 1.5 times more requests for video.

The survey is global and sourced from the network data of 300 million subscribers at more than 130 operators which use Citrix’s ByteMobile traffic reporting solution.

The survey’s findings echo those of O2, which reported that its 4G subscribers are watching more video, as well as playing more games and streaming other media as a result of having access to additional bandwidth.

Separately, Citrix also found that social networking is the most used application category for both 4G and 3G. Globally, nearly half (47 per cent) of social networking data can be attributed to video and 40 per cent to images.

However, there is an interesting amount of variation on the regional level, with North America and Middle Eastern users having the highest video consumption on social networks, representing 59 per cent and 62 per cent of total volume, respectively.

In contrast, Europe is at 39 per cent and APAC is at 35 per cent, significantly lower than the two other regions.