Virgin Media O2 reports record network traffic spike

Virgin Media O2 has reported a record network traffic peak on its network, with data consumption spiking last Wednesday as football games streamed matches on Amazon Prime Video and gamers downloaded the newest Call Of Duty.

The operator said network traffic peaked at 9.20 pm on Wednesday October 19 at a level 40% higher than an average weeknight.

The wave of data consumption was driven by internet users watching the five live Premier League matches on Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service, Virgin Media O2 said, as well as console owners pre-downloading Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II, the latest game in the popular series, ahead of its public release the following day.

The company said that the spike meant that between 6 pm and midnight, the average broadband user consumed more than 8GB of data.

The latest spike was 6.6% higher than the previous record, which occurred on December 28 last year, and as Virgin Media noted, was again a day when a number of Premier League games were being broadcast on Prime Video, but also came as the UK was battling the Omicron wave of Covid-19 and more people were staying at home.

Jeanie York, Virgin Media O2’s chief technology officer, said: “Whilst we’re used to seeing sustained growth in usage and significant spikes on our network, the latest Prime Premier League games and Call Of Duty: Warzone 2 release has smashed our previous traffic peak record out of the park – with traffic at heights hard to imagine even just a few years ago.

“Whilst it’s hard to predict what will come next in the world of streaming and gaming, one thing is for certain; with gigabit speeds and an ultra-reliable service to match, we have the network that is ready for it all.”