2021 was a record year for data consumption

New analysis released by Virgin Media O2 today reveals the impact of a tumultuous year of highs and lows on the nation’s connectivity habits across mobile, broadband and TV networks.

‍

In a year that saw a third national lockdown, a summer of freedom and then the emergence of omicron and new restrictions, as well as unexpected sporting triumphs and major gaming launches, the one thing that remained constant was the nation’s reliance on technology.

2021 was a record year for data consumption with customers downloading 19% more broadband data per day than 2020, and mobile traffic up 45%.

Continued working from home and home-schooling caused the broadband and mobile ‘rush hour’ to shift earlier, from 8pm to 4pm.

Gaming generated the biggest spikes in broadband traffic throughout the year, with the release of Fortnite Chapter 3 in December coinciding with the biggest day for data downloads.

The summer of freedom created an opportunity to get out and re-fresh our socials, with June recording the highest usage rates for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat on mobile.

Take a look at the full O2 press release.