Eir's annual Year in Data report shows that a record 17 million minutes of mobile voice calls were recorded on Friday December 22, while it also reveals a 49% increase in fibre broadband data usage in 2023 compared to 2022 and a 130% increase of data usage across eir's 5G network this year.
Christmas Day was the busiest day in 2023 for mobile data usage and streaming of video and music services were up over 30% compared to Christmas Day last year.
According to eir's data, December 3 was the busiest data day for broadband during the year, which it said coincided with a major gaming update by an online game platform.
The equivalent of over six million movie downloads took place across eir's mobile network from December 22 to 26, an increase of over 25% on the same time in 2022.
The report for 2023 also shows there was also over 40,000 GB of data traffic on the company's network at music festival Electric Picnic, and over 9,000 GB of data traffic at the National Ploughing Championships.
Meanwhile, the Rugby World Cup secured the top spot on eir TV for 2023, with sports programming dominating eight of the top ten most-watched spots. RTÉ's Late Late Toy Show on November 24 was the second most watched and at its peak, the Toy Show accounted for 82% of eir TV viewers.
Today's report shows that an average, each household used 4,627 Gigabytes (GB) of broadband data in 2023 and households with fibre broadband used on average 5,903 GB over the year.
Eir noted that on average, Sunday was the highest data usage day of the week across 2023 and Tuesdays were the lowest.
It said the total broadband usage across its network 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.
Eir CEO Oliver Loomes said that Irish people have embraced communications technology to deepen connections during 2023.
"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," Mr Loomes said.
He noted that 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," he added.
