# Time as a limited resource: Communication Strategy in Mobile Phone Networks

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1301.2464 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1301.2464/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 11 Jan 2013.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Harnessing the Power of Ego Network Layers for Link Prediction in Online Social Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.09190/) (2021)
- [Structural invariants and semantic fingerprints in the "ego network" of words](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.00588/) (2022)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We used a large database of 9 billion calls from 20 million mobile users to examine the relationships between aggregated time spent on the phone, personal network size, tie strength and the way in which users distributed their limited time across their network (disparity). Compared to those with smaller networks, those with large networks did not devote proportionally more time to communication and had on average weaker ties (as measured by time spent communicating). Further, there were not substantially different levels of disparity between individuals, in that mobile users tend to distribute their time very unevenly across their network, with a large proportion of calls going to a small number of individuals. Together, these results suggest that there are time constraints which limit tie strength in large personal networks, and that even high levels of mobile communication do not fundamentally alter the disparity of time allocation across networks.