Network operators report more mobile data consumption

Whether YouTube, TikTok or football: people in Germany stream and download more with their smartphones while on the move. This shows the data volume of the cell phone network operator. Telephone calls, on the other hand, became shorter again.

Significantly more data has been transmitted in Germany’s mobile phone networks than before. The network operator Vodafone reported an increase of 34 percent to a good 1.8 billion gigabytes for this year – Deutsche Telekom an increase of more than 30 percent to around 2.4 billion gigabytes.

Telefónica (O2) did not want to name an annual total. However, the company had already exceeded the threshold of three billion gigabytes in November – it should be significantly higher by the end of the year. In the annual figures, the consumption on the last days of the year is estimated.

Lots of streaming outside of WiFi networks
The reason for the growth is that people stream a lot on their smartphones and use other data-intensive applications when they’re on the go and not connected to landline Wi-Fi. The use of mobile data volume had already risen steeply in previous years – this increase is now continuing.

In 2021, the data volume in the O2 network was around 2.4 billion gigabytes. For comparison: in 2020 it was still 1.5 billion gigabytes. At Telekom, mobile phone users used around two and a half times more data volume for TikTok and Instagram this year than in 2021.

World Cup in Qatar caused too much streaming
There was also a lot of mobile streaming during the World Cup, as figures from Vodafone show: The network operator recorded the highest daily consumption of 6.5 million gigabytes on the day when Germany lost to Japan.

When the game kicked off at 2 p.m., many people were in the office, picking up their smartphones to watch. The other German World Cup games were broadcast in the evening when many people were at home using the WLAN.

More tariffs with more data volume
The trend towards tariffs with more data volume also continued. “Private customers are booking larger and larger data packages,” said Telefónica Deutschland boss Markus Haas, referring to the increasing role of industry and other economic sectors in growth.

Germans make shorter calls
Telephone calls have become shorter again. At Vodafone, for example, they lasted less than three minutes on average, about as long as before the corona pandemic.

“The mobile network is back in everyday mode,” said the Vodafone technology boss in Germany, Tanja Richter. “The normality that we are finally experiencing again in many places at work and in our free time is also reflected on the Internet: the duration of the phone calls is back to normal.” Globeecho