Record breaking data usage during New Year’s Eve, SMS messaging declines

Telecom providers in the Netherlands reported record-breaking data usage during New Year’s Eve celebrations, while traditional SMS messaging continued to decline, according to press releases from VodafoneZiggo and KPN. The trend might mean that Dutch citizens are relying more on mobile data and voice calls to send New Year’s wishes.

VodafoneZiggo revealed that mobile data usage among its customers was 50 percent higher than during the previous year’s celebrations, peaking immediately after midnight. Voice call traffic also rose by 9 percent, while SMS usage dropped by 8 percent compared to the prior year. On Ziggo’s fixed network, a significant spike in data traffic occurred between 12:10 a.m. and 12:20 a.m., a 27 percent increase from the same period in 2023.

KPN, another major telecom provider, reported its highest-ever data usage during New Year’s Eve, with customers consuming 551 terabytes of mobile data between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. This marks a steady increase from the 535 terabytes recorded last year. SMS usage at KPN continued its downward trend, with approximately 900,000 messages sent during the night, a decrease from 1 million the previous year and a sharp contrast to the 4.7 million SMS messages sent during the 2015–2016 transition.

KPN also noted a modest increase in voice calls, with 3.4 million phone calls made during this year’s celebrations compared to 3.2 million last year. Despite the uptick, voice call volumes remain far below their peak levels, such as the 4.9 million calls recorded during the 2015–2016 New Year’s Eve period.