Openreach preps for Amazon Prime-led broadband spike
Details
Editor
| 22 December 2022
Even after seeing unprecedented online traffic by users engaging with major events such as the Queen’s funeral, live sport and the build-up to Christmas, UK network provider Openreach is getting ready for what it believes could be record-breaking streaming.
OPenreach Full Fibre 14June2022
The BT-owned broadband provision division sees a potential spike in broadband traffic on Boxing Day as Amazon Prime screens the Premier League’s return and predicts 2021’s total of 62,700 Petabytes (PB) of data will be exceeded around Christmas Day, with around a week of December left.

Data showed the busiest single day of the year so far – and since records began - was Sunday 11 December when households took to Christmas shopping online and streaming of festive films and music.

Throughout the record-breaking day, just under 229 PB of data was carried across the network. The second busiest day was Sunday 18 September, the weekend of the Queen’s funeral, when millions of people were watching events online and more than 216.7 PB of data was carried across the network during the day. The third busiest day for the UK’s broadband was Sunday 6 November, when 216.6 PB of data was carried across the network. There was an obvious increase in traffic between midday and 4pm with notable events online around that time including live Premier League and FA Cup football.

The busiest months in 2022 were January (5,701 PB), October (5,532 PB) and November (5,504 PB). The busiest day of the week is typically a Sunday. The busiest time on the network is usually between 8pm and 10pm. 2022’s annual total is set to break records, perhaps as early as Christmas Day. In 2021, more than 62,700 PB was downloaded, in 2020 that figure was 50,648 PB, and in 2019 it was around 22,000 PB.

“Our network has once again kept the country connected throughout 2022 as we’ve experienced some pretty momentous occasions and moments we’ll remember for the rest of our lives. And our work isn’t finished as we’re expecting further network peaks across the Christmas period, particularly on Boxing Day as live football returns to our screens after a six-week absence due to the World Cup,” remarked Colin Lees, Openreach’s chief technology and information officer.

“The fact a glut of matches are being screened exclusively online this holiday season, coupled with lots of new devices being connected to the internet for the first time and downloading updates, we have the potential for having a bumper online Christmas with records toppling again.”