‘Mind-blowing’: Kiwis head to the internet for Christmas, using ‘staggering’ levels of record-breaking data

With travel off the charts for many this Christmas and families separated as a result of the global Covid-19 pandemic, Kiwis jumped online to connect, celebrate and shop, sending traffic and data rates through the roof.

Data provided to the Herald by two major telecommunications companies shows that Kiwis used a record amount of data on Christmas and San Esteban.

Nationwide, Vodafone customers consumed 1,178 TeraBytes of data on Christmas Day and December 26, compared to 777 TB of data in New Zealand during the same two days last year.

Sharina Nisha, director of platforms for Vodafone New Zealand, said it was a “staggering” increase of 52 per year, the equivalent of Kiwis streaming more than a million hours of video in just two days.

He said the most popular time to connect, such as streaming content, making video calls or checking out the latest deals online, was 8-11pm. M. Both in Christmas and in San Esteban, and the peaks registered 33.28 TB and 37.63 TB of data used. respectively.

Nisha said the digital services company was working 24 hours a day to ensure that customers stayed connected.

“We expected internet traffic to skyrocket this Christmas as people stay connected with friends and whānau using digital tools, especially while borders are closed, but this huge growth is still mind-blowing,” he said.

“Some vacation destinations are already experiencing double the usual data usage, which we expect to continue as people move away for the New Years.

“We have teams of people on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to monitor our Internet and telephone networks, and we are going to increase coverage at busy venues and events by installing temporary mobile sites on wheels.

Some of the larger vacation capacity destinations include Paihia, Omaha, Whangamata, Waihi, Mount Maunganui, Marlborough, Kaiteriteri, and Otematata, as well as popular festivals like Northern Bass in Mangawhai, Bay Dreams Nelson, and Rhythm & Alps in Queenstown.

“Throughout 2020, we have invested in improving cell sites across the country and preparing for what we hope will be an extraordinary summer as kiwis flock to popular hotspots,” said Nisha.

“Internet and phone networks have become even more essential this year during the pandemic to continue working and learning, but smartphones and devices are obviously incredibly important for entertainment purposes as well.”

Spark customers also used a large volume of data: 797TB on Christmas Day, peaking around 9pm.

A spokeswoman said it was a 34 percent increase on December 25, 2019, when users reached 603 TB of data.

“On Boxing Day, Spark’s mobile data customers used approximately 930TB of data, peaking at 5pm. This was a 44.5 percent increase in data usage compared to Boxing. Day in 2019, “he said.