O2 says its UK network carried over 440 million SMS text messages on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, which was a 10% increase on last year’s figures. In addition, over 200 million calls were made via O2 UK during the 48-hour period.
Meanwhile, UK WiFi hotspot provider The Cloud has revealed details of usage during the Christmas period. It says its hotspots in pubs, shops, cafes, restaurants and other public places enjoyed three times more WiFi usage on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day in 2012 than in 2011 - and ten times more than in 2009.
Christmas Eve was the busiest day for WiFi use during the Christmas period, peaking at four times higher than 2011 levels.
Vince Russell, Managing Director of The Cloud, said “We used to think Christmas would be a relatively quiet time on our network, but that isn’t the case any more. Even on Christmas Day, our pub hotspots are heavily used. And when the high streets are busy – as they are for last-minute shoppers on Christmas Eve and bargain-hunters on Boxing Day – the increase in traffic is considerable.”