Data: Power Users stream over 2.2 TB broadband per month
July 17, 2023
OpenVault has determined that power users of 1 TB of data vastly eclipse other users when it comes to streaming broadband and gaming consumption, according to the OpenVault Broadband Insights (OVBI) report. The Q2 2023 report was issued by OpenVault, a source of SaaS-based revenue and network improvement solutions and data-driven insights for the broadband industry.
In a first-of-its-kind breakdown of broadband usage by application category, the OVBI report notes that power users stream more than 2.2 TB of data per month, nearly six times as much as average users. Furthermore, power users’ gaming consumption of 498 GB per month was 2,271 per cent higher than average users’ 21 GB per month. OVBI defines an average user as one who consumes 400-600 GB per month.
“As subscribers flock to faster and faster speed tiers, there is increasing pressure on operator networks to deliver uninterrupted and unimpaired user experiences,” said Mark Trudeau, CEO and Founder of OpenVault. “With deeper visibility into the applications that subscribers are using, operators can proactively understand and strengthen the most vulnerable areas in their networks.”
In addition to the stark streaming and gaming differences between power and average users, the OVBI report also noted that average users dedicate a significantly greater portion of their bandwidth – 20 per cent – to social media, well ahead of both power users (9 per cent) and light users (6 per cent). Light users of less than 100 GB per month expend 92 per cent of their consumption on streaming and less than 1 per cent on gaming. As always, the report leverages data aggregated from OpenVault’s suite of broadband management tools.
Other findings in the Q2 2023 report include:
- The monthly average data usage was 533.8 GB, up 8.8 per cent year over year from 490.7 GB in Q1 2022.
- Year-over-year upstream data usage growth (14.8 per cent) was greater than downstream data usage growth (8.4 per cent) in Q2 2023.
- The percentage of subscribers on gigabit speed tiers more than doubled over the previous year, reaching 31.6 per cent in Q2 2023.
As part of its continued analysis of usage by participants in the Affordable Connectivity Plan, OVBI found a notable difference between fully-subsidised subscribers who pay the entirety of their monthly bill with the plan’s $30 allowance, and partially subsidised subscribers who use the $30 allowance to defray part of the cost of higher-priced plans with faster speeds. OVBI found that partially subsidized participants consumed 40.6 per cent more data than non-ACP subscribers, while fully subsidised participants who receive slower speed tiers (50-75Mbps) consumed just 18.2 per cent more data.