STILL CALLING AUSTRALIANS AT HOME THIS CHRISTMAS

Christmas Day data usage to equal 160 million downloads of Silent Night, phone calls and texts up

Turkey and pudding will easily play second fiddle to other consumption habits this Christmas Day with Optus forecasting data usage on its network to top 568 Terabytes – equivalent to downloads of 142,000 HD movies[i] or 160 million songs[ii].

Optus also predicts Australians will spread yuletide cheer this year with phone calls and texts – which are expected to jump by 6 per cent compared to Christmas Day 2014*.

Ben White, Acting Managing Director, Marketing and Product, Optus, said Christmas Day mobile data usage is forecast to skyrocket by 50 per cent compared to 2014, with one possible explanation being the increasing popularity of video calls to loved ones overseas.

“Not only will we be consuming turkey and pudding this Christmas, we will also be filling up on data downloads,” Mr White said.

“We always expected to see data usage increase with video calls which is a great way to share the excitement and atmosphere of a Christmas gathering with loved ones overseas.

“Whilst some will no doubt still be watching classics like ‘Miracle on 34th Street’, ‘A Santa Clause’ and ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ we suspect many more will be watching the latest TV series and movies download through Netflix, Fetch and other video on demand platforms.”

Mr White said mobile uploads and views of photos and videos of kids opening their presents, Christmas trees and the Christmas lunch spread are also likely to dominate social media platforms, while others might download a Christmas music playlist.

Optus predicts customers will send 65 million text messages on December 25 (up 6 per cent on 2014) and make almost 3 million more mobile and fixed line national long distance calls (to 35 million) to friends and family in Australia.

2015 has been the year of 4G in Australia with Optus’ 4G Plus network available across all capital cities and hundreds of regional and holiday towns. Optus has been focussed on building and expanding its 4G Plus network which now reaches more than 90 per cent of Australians.

Festive Phone Facts

• More than 65 million outbound text messages are expected to be sent by Optus customers on Christmas Day (up 6 per cent on 2014)
• We will make more than 35 million mobile phone calls on Christmas Day (up 5 per cent on 2014)
• We will continue to use the landline to make phone calls with nearly 24 million calls expected to be made on Christmas Day (up 6 per cent)
• The UK, New Zealand and India will be the three most popular international destinations phoned from Australia during Christmas Day
• We will consume 568TB (Terabytes) of mobile data on Christmas Day (up almost 50 per cent on 2014)
  • Equivalent to approximately 142,000 HD movies; or
  • Equivalent to approximately 160 million songs

Mr White said the huge uplift in data volumes over Christmas confirms Australia’s appetite for data consumption.

Customers can check existing coverage and future rollout plans by visiting www.optus.com.au/coverage.

Media contacts:

Steve Batten

Optus Corporate Affairs

(02) 8082 7850

media@optus.com.au

[i] Based on standard HD movie of 4GB

[ii] Based on standard song size of 3.5MB

* Comparison between Christmas Day 2014 and predictions for Christmas Day 2015 (between 12.00am – 12.00am).