After facing pandemic restrictions on and off for 24 months, 2022 was our first full year of freedom. There were no lockdowns, no travel bans and no “substantial meals” eaten shivering in pub gardens – so how did this lack of restrictions affect how we used our broadband and mobile networks?

We’ve analysed tens of millions of customers’ connectivity habits from 1 January to December 2022. Check out interactive graphic below to discover more on the big connectivity trends over the past 12 months. Just hover over or click the flashing hotspots to find out more...

It’s clear connectivity remained vital as we enjoyed post-Covid freedoms in 2022, with data consumption climbing to new heights throughout the year.

In fact, we saw our biggest ever year for data use on both broadband and mobile networks, as more people than ever went online to chat, stream, share and game. Overall, our customers downloaded 9% more broadband data in 2022 than in 2021, with mobile traffic up 36% year on year.

As seen in our interactive graphic above, that surge was down to a heady mix of gaming-generated traffic spikes, football fever gripping the nation, and the continued demand (or necessity) for home working.