Network traffic data released by Virgin Media O2 has revealed a 2022 forming a new-normal with major, historic events such as the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the Lionesses’ football success shaping consumer connectivity behaviours.
As 2022 brought post-Covid freedoms, Virgin Media O2 noted that demand for data remained at record levels and the operator saw its biggest ever year for data use on both its broadband and mobile networks, as more people went online to chat, stream, share and game. In 2022, customers downloaded 9% more broadband data per day than the previous year, with mobile traffic up 36% year on year.
Football was responsible for the biggest O2 mobile data traffic spikes this year, with the England v Iran game on 21 November driving record spikes in mobile data traffic ever recorded on O2’s network. Compared with England’s opening game against Tunisia in the 2018 competition, mobile data traffic was up 361%. The Lionesses lifting the Euros trophy in the summer of 2022 saw a 49% increase in household reach on the match day of 31 July compared with an average day as the nation cheered on the women to make history.
The 2022 finals of the Premier League and Champions League saw huge mobile data surges, with mobile network traffic 37% and 30% higher than their respective 2021 finals. Further, during the evening of 19 October, when Amazon Prime Video streamed five Premier League matches and the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II pre-download was released, Virgin Media’s broadband data consumption significantly spiked before peaking at 21:20 when traffic was up 40% compared with an average weeknight in 2022.
“Looking back on 2022, it’s clear that reliance on broadband and mobile connectivity is seeing traffic and data use grow more and more. This year, a number of major events that gripped the nation alongside huge gaming launches and the continuation of hybrid working, have all contributed to a record-breaking surge in customer traffic on our network and we see no sign of this changing,” commented Virgin Media O2 chief technology officer Jeanie York. “With 2023 on the horizon, whatever it brings, we’ll continue to invest heavily to keep the country connected, keep pace with demand and ensure we’re focused on customer experience and reliability.