Jan 12, 2016 11:50 GMT

Smartphone and tablet Christmas gifts almost double internet use

BT Broadband and BT Wi-fi use increased substantially over the festive season and almost doubled year on year on Christmas Day, as people unwrapped and started using the new smartphones and tablets they received as presents.

BT Broadband use during December 2015 was up considerably on the same period last year, with Christmas Day smashing festive records for internet use – almost double that of the last year (a 95 per cent increase).

There was an enormous surge in broadband demand just before lunchtime on Christmas Day – a 130 per cent jump in online usage compared to the same time last year. The spike in internet use around midday was driven by software downloads and video streaming to new smartphones and tablets as people unwrapped their presents and connected them to BT’s network.

The festive season also saw a dramatic rise in Netflix use, a 43 per cent increase in five weeks, peaking on the evening of Sunday January 3, the night before most people were due back at work after the New Year break.

Time spent online on BT Wi-fi over the festive period 2015* was up 35 per cent on the same period in 2014, increasing by more than 725 million minutes and more than 700 million extra megabytes (MBs) were consumed – a 50 per cent rise over 2014.

Pete Oliver, MD BT Consumer, said: “The Christmas period was a record-breaking time for BT Broadband and BT Wi-fi usage, as people connected their new devices to the internet. Getting online has obviously become an essential part of the celebrations during the festive season, whether it’s shopping online for presents, actually connecting those devices given as presents, or video-calling friends and family to wish them a happy Christmas or New Year.”