O2 Reveals Major Boost In Mobile Usage Over New Year Period

The latest figures from O2 have revealed that UK customers used their mobile devices more than ever over the New Year period.

As midnight came and went, the network revealed that its customers sent over 385 million text messages and made 200 million phone calls on New Year’s Eve.

Smartphone data consumption continued to grow, showing a 62 percent increase over the New Year period in 2013, with O2 recording a 70 percent increase in data usage over this time compared to an average day. New Years’ Day 2014 in particular saw a 58 percent rise in data usage compared to 1 January 2013.

Starting with a bang

O2’s full findings were as follows:

• New Year period 2014 vs. 2013: 62 percent increase in data use
• New Year period 2014 vs. average day: 70 percent increase in data use
• New Year’s Day 2014 vs. New Year’s Day 2013: 58 percent increase in data use
• O2 customers also sent over 385m text messages and made over 200m phone calls

Following its launch in August 2013, O2’s 4G network now reaches over a third of the UK population (around 18 million people). It recently reduced the prices of some of its 4G tariffs in order to attract new customers, whilst giving existing users a free upgrade.

The company’s super-fast mobile network is currently available in Birmingham, Bradford, Coventry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, London and Nottingham, with further expansion planned soon.

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