Data: Average UK network traffic up 21% in 2025
January 1, 2026
Data from Zen Internet shows that sustained growth in baseline traffic is now defining the trend, establishing a higher day-to-day norm, alongside short-term spikes.
Across 2025, traffic on Zen’s network drove a 21 per cent increase in baseline demand. While Zen’s customer base continued to grow, overall usage increased at a significantly faster rate, highlighting the expanding role of streaming, cloud services, gaming and software distribution in everyday connectivity.
Against this higher baseline, peak traffic records were broken multiple times during the year, driven by live football streaming. The highest peak was 22 per cent above last year’s. In 2025, new records were set in February, March and April, before reaching that new all-time high on November 11th.
Repeated record peaks overtake single standout moments
What distinguishes 2025 is not the existence of peaks, but how frequently they now occur on top of sustained demand. 2025 saw a succession of new network highs with peak traffic up three per cent on 2024’s highest peak in February, nine per cent in March, and 11.5 per cent in April, before rising sharply again in the autumn.
Monthly averages followed a similar trajectory. Average traffic increased 21 per cent from January to November, with summer demand remaining materially above levels seen at the start of the year. Unlike previous years, warmer weather no longer delivered a meaningful reduction in overall usage.
Live sport streaming platforms dominate peak demand
Live football continued to be the most reliable short-term driver of traffic spikes, creating pronounced surges on top of an already elevated baseline. UEFA Champions League fixtures in February, March, April, and November coincided with new peak records, while the Lionesses’ Euros final on July 27th drove an 11 per cent increase in total network traffic compared with the previous day.
Streaming platforms, particularly Prime Video, also played a significant role in shaping these short-lived peaks. Prime Video traffic often surged well above typical evening levels between 20:00 and 22:30. The largest spike here was recorded on November 4th, when Prime Video traffic peaked 85 per cent above a normal average evening, when Liverpool hosted Real Madrid in the high-profile UEFA Champions League match which was streamed live on Prime Video.
Gaming, downloads and software rollouts
Gaming and software releases were less frequent, short-term contributors to traffic peaks in 2025, but when they occurred, they generated sharp, time-limited surges on Zen’s network. A surprise game release in April prompted a noticeable daytime and evening uplift, while beta tests and major updates later in the year also produced clear spikes.
Apple traffic stood out in September, jumping 900 per cent, consistent with a major operating system rollout, highlighting how large-scale software distribution can briefly place significant additional demand on the network without altering the underlying baseline trend.
News consumption increasingly part of the baseline
Major global news events were less likely to create dramatic standalone spikes than in previous years, suggesting that news consumption is now embedded within everyday internet use. Instead, activity tended to rise from an already elevated baseline rather than surge from lower levels.
However, select moments still drove measurable increases, including the US Presidential inauguration in January and the death of Pope Francis in April, which coincided with higher-than-normal traffic to trusted public service platforms such as the BBC.
John Lyons, Technology Director at Zen, commented: “What this year shows very clearly is that high demand is no longer confined to isolated moments, but is now underpinned by sustained growth. We’re seeing sustained growth in baseline usage alongside repeated record peaks, which requires us to work hard to stay ahead of our growing customer demands. As Zen turns 30, continuing to invest in capacity and resilience is critical to making sure customers experience a reliable service, particularly as demand keeps rising.”
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