Kiwis rang in the New Year in massive numbers, with a steady stream of data used across Vodafone’s mobile networks.

Nationally Kiwis consumed more than 90.4 terabytes of mobile data on New Year’s Eve*, compared to 64.4 terabytes of mobile data across the country during the same period last year, representing a year on year increase of approximately 28.76%.

Volume wise, that’s roughly equivalent to streaming 40k hours of television in just 6 hours.

Vodafone Technology Director Tony Baird said a lot of work went into making sure the network could handle such a massive surge.

“We’ve invested heavily, upgrading sites and adding additional capacity like our cell sites on wheels (COWS), to bring faster speeds to support the growing number of holiday makers.

“When it comes to favourite places to ring in the New Year, Kiwis tend to either gather en masse in popular areas like Rhythm & Vines in Gisborne, or head out to remote baches and cribs to get away from it all. We know how important it is to stay connected with family and friends, and that’s why having a robust network like Vodafone is vital,” Tony said.

Kiwis keen to send a short message of New Year’s wishes also sent 5.53 million TXT messages on New Year’s Eve, compared to 6.2 million TXT messages last year. That’s just about an 11 per cent year on year decrease.

“Smartphones, tablets and laptops are at the heart of how Kiwis are staying in touch now. We’ve had our technology team putting in the hours over the Christmas and New Year period to make sure our customers get the same seamless experience at holiday destinations, as they would at home,” Tony added.

ENDS

Notes to editor:
*These NYE data traffic volumes were measured between 8pm on December 31st and 2am on January 1st.