'A Nation of Talkers, Gamers and Sports Fans'

eir’s ‘2023 Year in Data Report’ paints a comprehensive picture of our digital lives and how we stay connected

• 3rd of December was the busiest data day for broadband in 2023, coinciding with major gaming update by popular online game platform

• High speed fibre broadband saw a 49% increase in data usage in 2023

• A record 17 million minutes of calls were made in Ireland on Friday, 22nd of December

• 5G network usage soared with a 130% increase on eir's network compared to the same period last year

• Rugby World Cup clinched the top spot on eir TV for 2023, with sports programming dominating eight of the top ten most-watched spots

Thursday, 28th December 2023: eir, Ireland’s largest telecommunications provider, today published its annual '2023 Year in Data’ report, highlighting digital trends across the country in 2023. 

Summarising nationwide usage in home broadband, mobile, and TV usage, the report provides a unique glimpse into the nation's evolving digital habits and signals significant shifts in how the Irish public have embraced digital connectivity.

Key trends include a record 17 million minutes of mobile voice calls recorded on Friday, the 22nd of December, a 49% increase in fibre broadband data usage in 2023 versus 2022 and a 130% increase of data usage across eir’s 5G network this year. There was also over 40,000 GB of data traffic on eir’s network at popular national festival, Electric Picnic, and over 9,000 GB of data traffic at the National Ploughing Championships in 2023. 

Commenting on the report, eir CEO, Oliver Loomes said: “Throughout 2023 Irish people have embraced communications technology to deepen connections. From rallying around thrilling rugby matches on eir TV, diving into immersive gaming experiences together, to sharing millions of voice call minutes, each moment reflects a vibrant community who use technology to stay close in an increasingly digital world.

We’re proud as a business to continuously support this increased connectivity through substantial investment in telecommunications infrastructure over the past five years. The significant 49% increase in Gigabit Fibre usage underscores a growing reliance on high-speed internet in our daily lives. Furthermore, the impressive 130% increase in data usage across eir’s 5G network shows the essential role that ultra-fast connectivity now plays in our everyday activities. This year's data demonstrates how deeply interconnected Irish society continues to be, and at eir, we are dedicated to nurturing these connections for a prosperous Ireland.”

2023 key highlights

Mobile Network Data 

• 17 million minutes of mobile voice calls were recorded on Friday the 22nd of December, making it the busiest day for mobile conversation as people prepared for Christmas
• Christmas day was the busiest day in 2023 for mobile data usage
• Video and music streaming were up over 30% versus Christmas day 2022 
• The equivalent of over six million movie downloads took place across eir’s mobile network over the festive period, December 22nd - 26th, an increase of over 25% on the same period in 2022 
• eir's 5G Network saw an impressive 130% increase in traffic compared to 2022

eir TV 

• The Rugby World Cup Quarter Final, Ireland versus New Zealand, on the 14th of October was the most watched event on eir TV in 2023
• RTÉ’s Late Late Toy Show on 24th of November came in as second most watched. At its peak, the Toy Show accounted for 82% of eir TV viewers
• The GAA All Ireland Football Final - Dublin versus Kerry on 30th of July came in at number ten most watched on eir TV 
• Sport accounted for 8 out of the top 10 most viewed listings on eir TV in 2023 

Fixed Broadband 

• Total broadband data usage in 2023 increased by 9.7% versus 2022, with 4,450 Petabytes (PB) in 2023 vs 4,056 PB in 2022
• Fibre-to-the-Home broadband data increased by 49% in 2023 at 1,978 PB, up from 1,333 PB in 2022
• On average, each household used 4,627 Gigabytes (GB) of broadband data in 2023, whereas households with fibre broadband used on average 5,903 GB over the period
• The lowest data usage for fixed broadband in 2023 was on Tuesday 30 May 2023 at 10.9 PB
• On average, Sunday was the highest data usage day of the week across 2023 and Tuesdays were the lowest
• The total broadband usage across eir’s network (4,450 PB) is the equivalent of 223 billion hours of gaming, 13 billion hours of video chat, 2 billion hours of film streaming or 685 billion songs streamed

ENDS

Notes:

• Broadband data refers to usage from January 1st 2023 – December 27th 2023 across 947k broadband customers and 1.4m mobile customers.
• 1 Petabyte (PB) = 1,000 Terabyte (TB), 1 TB = 1,000 Gigabyte (GB), 1 GB = 1,000 Megabyte (MB).
• 1 hour of gaming = 20 MB, 1 hour of video chat = 340 MB, 1 hour of HD video (film) = 2000 MB, 1 song streamed = 6.5 MB

For queries, please contact:  

Press Office  

pressoffice@eir.ie   

About eir  

eir is the largest provider of fixed line telecommunications services in Ireland, offering broadband, voice, TV, data services as well as networking, security and managed services to residential, small business, enterprise and government segments.  eir is the third largest mobile operator in Ireland in terms of revenue and customers. The company operates the eir mobile and GoMo services. eir’s wholesale division, open eir, is the largest wholesale telecommunications operator in Ireland, providing products and services to national and international wholesale customers across a range of regulated and unregulated markets.