According to OpenVault, U.S. household broadband consumption is anticipated to reach as much as 330 GB per subscriber during the current holiday season.
Using historical trends catalogued over 5+ years of accelerating broadband growth, OpenVault calculates that consumption will increase by approximately 19% between Q3 and the end of the Christmas/January holiday season. Based on the Q3 2019 average of 275 GB per subscriber, OpenVault is predicting holiday mean usage of 315 GB to 330 GB per subscriber this year's holiday season.
According to OpenVault, per subscriber holiday consumption has risen from 38 GB in 2012 to 270 GB last year. Last year, the company also tracked expansion within the U.S. consumer device landscape, observing a 5.3% increase in connected devices when comparing the week after Christmas with the week before Christmas.
"The holiday season is prime time for spikes in broadband usage that put increased stress on operators' infrastructures," said Mark Trudeau, CEO and founder of OpenVault. "As the ribbons and bows come off countless new devices and they are connected to the Internet, they combine with cord-cutting, broadband network upgrades and higher speed packages to drive usage to record levels, ultimately setting the stage for the year ahead."