Online? A Study of Smartphone Internet Availability

An important facet of smartphone's usage is internet. Everything works flawlessly, as long as you have a good internet connection. A smartphone's functionality is immediately limited by the absence of internet: applications are not up-to-date; instant chat messages are not delivered when intended, or one is unable to get directions. Besides internet performance tuning, research has been scarce in leveraging users' internet access routines to improve smartphone's usage. By understanding smartphone internet availability, one may utilise this information to minimise data costs and improve users' experience while using internet-enabled applications. Our paper provides insight into when is it likely that an individual user is online, based on personal connectivity routines.