As Kiwis get planning their summer break, Vodafone is also well underway in its preparations for keeping everyone connected over the holiday period.

During the Christmas holiday period last year*, Vodafone customers used a massive 2,405 Terabytes of data on the mobile network – up 68 per cent during the same period the year before.

That’s enough data to stream about 1.12 million episodes of your favourite Netflix show this summer.

“Every summer we see an increasing demand for data on our mobile network, especially over the Christmas and New Year break, and as always, we’re expecting those figures to continue to rise this year,” said Vodafone’s Technology Director, Tony Baird.

Vodafone has invested heavily in its network in the lead up to Christmas this year, spending more than two million dollars upgrading cell sites around the country’s most popular holiday hotspots and festivals including Northern Bass, Rhythm & Vines, Christmas in the Park, Bay Dreams Nelson and Gibbston Valley Concert.

New 4G capacity has been added to sites to ensure continued connectivity for customers in the area over the holiday period.** These include the Omaha, Castle Point, Kerikeri, Cook Strait and Gisborne West sites just to name a few.^

The network investment is part of a series of planned upgrades ahead of an expected influx of holiday makers at popular holiday hotspots over the summer months.

“Whether it’s sharing holiday snaps on Instagram, staying connected with family and friends on Facebook, or keeping tabs on the business from the bach, Kiwis will do it all from their smartphones, laptops and tablets this summer. We’re working hard to ensure our network is up to the test again this year,” Tony said.

Last Christmas, Castle Point, Cook Strait, Gisborne West and Otematata were the country’s most connected holiday hotspots, based on data usage at the popular locations.

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

* Mobile traffic measured from 24 December 2017 – 4 January 2018

** 4G not available everywhere and requires a 4G capable device. See vodafone.co.nz/4G.

^ Full list of sites that have had additional 4G capacity added in preparation for the summer holiday period: Castle Point, Gisborne West, Mt Bruce, Cook Strait, Kerikeri, Manukau Square, Albany Mega Cente, Point View Park, Omaha, Great Barrier Island, Otematata and Papamoa