OpenVault: Growing Number of Power Users Leads to 700 GB Monthly Average
High-volume subscribers and upstream growth highlight importance of robust networks.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2025 – The percentage of Internet subscribers using at least 1 TB of data per month – or Power Users consuming the equivalent of 250 movies in HD – has more than tripled in the past five years, according to the latest edition of the OpenVault Broadband Insights.
“The percentage of Power Users rose to almost one-quarter of all subscribers – 24.3% – in 4Q24, a 232% increase over the 7.3% reported at the end of the last pre-pandemic report, in 2019,” OVBI said Tuesday. “The surge in high-volume users, together with continued growth in the upstream growth rate and consistent incremental downstream increases, boosted average monthly total consumption nearing 700 GB.”
To address the need for higher performance, the broadband industry is developing and deploying new solutions that can optimize profiles and create more available bandwidth.
“While average data consumption reached a new milestone, the rate of upstream data growth outpaced the rate of downstream growth, reflecting broader changes in user behavior. As subscribers upgrade to faster speeds at a slower pace, the focus is moving away from speed improvements and toward maintaining optimal network health, performance, and Quality of Experience,” the report notes.
The results confirm what cable broadband ISP executives have been saying about the need for robust network capacity to satisfy consumer demand – something they believe gives cable ISPs an advantage over Fixed Wireless Service rivals that have been gaining ground.
OpenVault CEO and Founder Mark Trudeau will discuss the findings and their implications for the industry on a webinar on Thursday, March 13.
