OpenVault: Gig-Speed Broadband Subscriptions More Than Doubled in 2022

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Average broadband consumption approached a new high of nearly 600 GB per month

Fiber optic
(Image credit: Pixabay)

Average broadband consumption approached a new high of nearly 600 GB per month and the percentage of subscribers on gigabit speed tiers has more than doubled, according to the Q4 2022 edition of the OpenVault Broadband Insights (OVBI) report. 

Average per-subscriber consumption was 586.7 GB at the end of 2022, an increase of nearly 10% over the prior year, the research firm said. During the same period, the percentage of subscribers provisioned for gigabit speeds rose to 26%, more than 2X the 4Q21 figure of 12.2%. The report leverages data aggregated from OpenVault’s suite of broadband management tools.

“Demand for greater internet speed continues to increase,” the report notes. “Operators need to be mindful not only of this overall growth, but of growth among specific segments of subscribers and at specific times. Consumption by subscribers in the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program continues to outpace that of all subscribers, and rapid growth of peak time consumption – especially during and around the holiday season – both are considerations that need to be addressed in network planning.”

OpenVault’s continued analysis of the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program shows that median usage by ACP participants in 4Q22 was 531.9 GB, more than 34% higher than the 396.6 GB recorded by all subscribers. In addition, the OVBI noted for the first time a Christmas Day trend of significantly higher average usage beginning in the mid-morning hours and continuing into the afternoon.

Other findings in the 4Q22 report include:

  • The percentage of power users consuming 1 TB or more per month in Q422 was 18.7%, a year-over-year increase of 16%.and 10x the percentage observed just five years ago, in Q417.
  • Annual growth of super power users consuming 2 TB or more per month increased 25%, from 2.7% to 3.4%, a nearly 30x increase within the past five years.
  • As migration to faster speed tiers continued, the percentage of subscribers in tiers under 200 Mbps declined by 43% in 4Q22.

The report is at https://openvault.com/resources/ovbi/. OpenVault will host a webinar to elaborate on the report on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 11 a.m. EST.  Registration is at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cEansDG1Qlq7GUuB9c5_aQ.

Tom Butts
Tom Butts

Tom has covered the broadcast technology market for the past 25 years, including three years handling member communications for the National Association of Broadcasters followed by a year as editor of Video Technology News and DTV Business executive newsletters for Phillips Publishing. In 1999 he launched digitalbroadcasting.com for internet B2B portal Verticalnet. He is also a charter member of the CTA's Academy of Digital TV Pioneers. Since 2001, he has been editor-in-chief of TV Tech (www.tvtech.com), the leading source of news and information on broadcast and related media technology and is a frequent contributor and moderator to the brand’s Tech Leadership events.