Virgin Media O2 has today released its 2025 ‘Year in Review’, revealing record levels of data consumption including an 8% rise in broadband usage and an 18% rise in mobile traffic.
Data analysis by the operator reveals this is primarily driven by the continued draw of live sports and major gaming releases.
Virgin Media O2’s ‘Year in Review’ is based on combining broadband, mobile, movement data with national polling findings to reveal the human behavioural insights behind the network data.
Brits scroll, chat and embrace AI more than ever
More than half of Brits (58%) say that they began the year with a plan to reduce the time they spent on their phone, but data shows it was another record-breaking year for mobile data usage, which was up 18%. Despite their intentions, many people admit that they used their phone more frequently to stay in touch with friends and family (55%), scroll on social media (44%), and use AI tools (41%).
Brits’ use of AI is becoming increasingly normalised, with 47% agreeing that it is totally accepted in most areas of life now. People are now turning to it for practical support, using it to find medical advice (31%), for recipes and cooking (30%), financial advice (27%), and even to help them navigate online dating (20%).
Live music and gaming releases continue to drive data spikes
Broadband data usage continues to rise and was up by 8% in 2025. The biggest spikes were driven by football and gaming releases, with Liverpool’s win against Real Madrid and the release of Call of Duty Black Ops 7 coming out on top.
Drama-fuelled TV sparked online conversations and offline “watercooler moments”, from Adolescence, to Traitors and Stranger Things. The Celebrity Traitors created a cultural moment of its own, as Thursday broadband spikes revealed Brits bundled episodes to watch together.
2025 was also a massive year for live music, with the Oasis reunion the story of the summer. On top of the reunion, O2’s Priority Tickets platform also had a record-breaking year, with 1.73 million tickets sold – representing a 12% jump from 2024. Some of the biggest-selling tours and shows included Kendrick Lamar and SZA taking over Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Lewis Capaldi’s triumphant comeback, and Bad Bunny’s historic show at the London Stadium.
Time in the office stabilises
Office attendance remained steady in 2025, with insights from O2 Motion, which uses anonymised and aggregated data from O2’s mobile network, showing commuter levels down just 1% from 2024. Despite this, there is clear evidence of a generational divide, with early career workers returning in greater numbers while mid-and-late career groups continue to step back.
Tuesday remains the most popular day for workers to head to the office, with Wednesday leapfrogging Thursday as the second busiest. O2 Motion data shows that Friday is the most popular day for Brits to work from home, which is no surprise as broadband data reveals a drop in traffic on Friday afternoons during the summer months, as many remote workers clock off early.
In a year that saw more than 20 days of strikes across Britain’s travel network, three quarters of people (75%) were affected by travel disruptions. During September’s London Tube strike, O2 Motion data found that footfall across the capital was down 16%. For those that did brave the commute, 30% walked to work, 24% drove, and 9% jumped on a rental e-bike.
Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “It was another record-breaking year across our mobile and fixed networks, as our customers continue to use more data than ever before. It’s clear that this demand has been driven by the continued excitement surrounding gaming and sports, with several significant game releases and many exciting Champions League matches causing large spikes across our networks. We are investing and innovating to ensure we continue to provide the connectivity that is underpinning the lives of our customers.”
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