• by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, February 10, 2017

Mobile video traffic is on pace to grow nine times in volume over the next five years. That’s the word from Cisco in its newest Mobile Visual Networking Index, which has become a bible of sorts for the mobile video business.

Already, video accounts for 60% of mobile traffic, and it should gobble up 78%  by 2021, the report found. This makes logical sense -- video consumes more bandwidth than text. Still, the share rise is noteworthy since it underscores how easily consumers watch video on their phones now.

The growth comes from a confluence of factors.  That includes a rise in the number of mobile devices per person to 1.5 by 2021; an increase in connection speeds to beyond 20 Mbps by then; as well as growth in smartphones, mobile network capacity and WiFi hotspots.

“The next five years are projected to provide unabated mobile video adoption,” Cisco said. “Backhaul capacity and efficiency must increase so mobile broadband, data access, and video services can effectively support consumer usage trends and keep mobile infrastructure costs in check.”

As video usage leapfrogs, mobile carriers will need to accommodate it at peak hours. Video usage tends to jump during evening and prime time.

This new prediction is the latest for Cisco in a string of mobile video growth predictions. In 2015, the tech giant said mobile video would comprise 72% of all mobile traffic by 2019.