Millions of fans streaming England’s World Cup victory over DR Congo on their commute drove the biggest spikes in mobile traffic ever recorded for the UK’s largest networks, data reveals.
Record Peaks on EE and O2
New records were set for both EE and O2 during Wednesday evening’s Fifa men’s football match. The 5pm kick-off meant it coincided with many people’s evening commute from work, prompting viewers to tune in on their mobile phones.
Data from the EE mobile network showed an all-time record peak in traffic during the match, which was 42% higher than the same time on an average Wednesday.
And O2 recorded the biggest spike in mobile traffic in its history during the 5pm kick-off. This was 20.4% higher than the previous peak, which was set when Arsenal played PSG at the UEFA Champions League final in May.
Traffic Surge Across Networks
Overall, mobile traffic was 27.7% higher than an average week, as millions of supporters streamed the match during their evening commute, O2 said. The figures reflect all 4G and 5G mobile data usage, rather than people connecting to WiFi or broadband to watch the match.
This led to traffic on BBC iPlayer, which was streaming the match, surging by 380% compared to a typical weekday afternoon, according to the network’s data.
Meanwhile, BT also recorded a new peak on BBC iPlayer through its fixed network, which reflects people streaming over broadband including on TVs at home. Traffic soared by 492% compared with the average Wednesday shortly after kick-off.
Impact of Live Sports on Connectivity
Traffic dropped shortly after DR Congo scored early on in the match before picking up again after England’s equaliser goal as supporters got behind the Three Lions.
Jeanie York, the chief technology officer for Virgin Media O2, said live sport was “one of the biggest drivers of mobile traffic in the UK” and underlined that “reliable mobile connectivity has never been more important”.
