Virgin Media O2 reveals Brits connectivity habits in 2022

Mobile traffic was up 36 per cent year-on-year

Virgin Media O2 has released its findings of consumer connectivity behaviours that have occurred in 2022.

The network saw its biggest ever year for data use on its broadband and mobile networks and customers downloaded nine per cent more broadband data per day than the previous year.

The findings revealed

The biggest train strike across the country occurred in June, resulting in a 72pc reduction in City of London crowd volumes compared to the week before. 

Broadband traffic peaked five per cent week on week during the strikes due to an increase of video calls.

O2 motion data revealed European travel from the UK reached pre-pandemic volumes over the summer, with weekly roaming volumes nearly tripled compared to summer 2021.

Online gaming has continued to drive record broadband traffic spikes in 2022 with the launch of Call of Duty Warzone 2.0 on November 16 being the busiest day ever for gaming-related broadband data consumption.

Football caused the biggest O2 mobile data traffic spikes this year, as the 1pm England v Iran game on November 21 drove record spikes. 

The Women’s Euros final saw a 49pc increase in household reach on July 31 compared to an average day. 

Premier League and Champions League saw huge mobile data surges, with mobile network traffic 37pc and 30pc higher than the 2021 finals. 

TikTok accounted for nearly 10pc of all mobile app usage in November, while Snapchat and Instagram were responsible for 2.5pc and 1pc respectively. 

Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer, Virgin Media O2 said: “Looking back to 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.

 “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.”