Zen Internet Reports 21% Growth in UK Network Traffic for 2025

Sustained Demand Drives New Peaks

Rochdale, UK – Zen Internet, a leading UK broadband provider, announced today that average network traffic across their service rose by an impressive 21% in 2025. The highest peak of data usage was set on November 11th, soaring 22% above the previous year’s record, largely driven by live football streaming.

John Lyons, Zen’s Technology Director, emphasized the shift from isolated spikes to sustained growth:

“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.”

Sports Streaming Dominates Peaks

Live sports events, particularly football, continued to be the primary driver of traffic spikes on Zen’s network in 2025:

• Amazon Prime Video traffic surged 85% above average during the Liverpool vs Real Madrid match on November 4th

• UEFA Champions League fixtures in February, March, April and November all coincided with new peak records

• The Lionesses’ Euros final on July 27th boosted total network traffic by 11% compared to the previous day

Gaming and Software Updates Bring Sharp Surges

While less frequent than sports, video game releases and software updates still generated significant, albeit brief, spikes:

• A surprise game release in April caused noticeable uplifts in both daytime and evening traffic

• Beta tests and major updates later in the year also produced clear peaks

• iOS updates in September caused Apple traffic to jump by a staggering 900%

Average Monthly Usage Continues to Climb

Zen’s findings align with wider UK trends reported by Ofcom. Average monthly data usage per fixed broadband connection reached 583GB across all technologies in 2025, up from 531GB the previous year. For full-fibre connections specifically, average usage was 738GB per month.

Investments in Capacity and Resilience Key as Demand Rises

As Zen celebrates its 30th anniversary, Lyons stressed the importance of continued investment to meet the challenges of relentless traffic growth:

“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.”

Sophisticated content delivery networks (CDNs) help manage the load by caching popular content closer to end users. This improves performance without adding network strain, lowers impact on external links, and helps contain costs.

UK Operators Report Similar Trends

Zen is not alone in grappling with surging demand. Virgin Media O2 recently reported an 8% rise in broadband usage and an 18% jump in mobile traffic for 2025, citing growing adoption of AI, live sports, and major game releases as key drivers.

With data consumption constantly rising and broadband speeds accelerating, UK operators will need to remain vigilant and proactive to stay ahead of the curve. As Lyons noted, strategic investments in network capacity and resilience will be essential to consistently meet customer expectations in an increasingly connected and data-hungry world.