The UK’s broadband use increased even further during 2022, with more data being downloaded than ever before.
According to Openreach’s annual update, broadband traffic across the UK increased by around 2.5% during 2022 to 64,364 Petabytes (PB) of data.
There are several factors that are believed to have contributed to the increase. These include live online streaming of football matches by Amazon Prime, people turning to the Internet to engage with major events such as the Queen’s funeral, the Christmas holiday season and an increase in gaming, particularly the popularity of Call of Duty.
The figures give the most comprehensive picture of UK broadband traffic, as they’re based on millions of homes and businesses using well-known providers such as BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Zen.
The amount of data being downloaded has increased in recent years, with 62,700 PB being downloaded in 2021, 50,000 PB in 2020 and 22,000 PB in 2019.
On Sunday, 11 December 2022, the UK experienced the busiest single day of Internet usage on record, with 228.87 PB of data being transmitted across the network. That day, winter weather engulfed the UK, which may have prompted people to stay indoors and accelerate their Christmas preparations with online shopping and streaming of festive films and music.
The second busiest day was Boxing Day, as millions headed online to enjoy Christmas with friends and family and Amazon Prime screened seven live football games, as the Premier League returned to our screens.
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