Three average data usage jumps 60% to 30GB in two years

In its latest financial results, Three announced a few interesting tidbits, including record high data usage for its average customer.

The average Three customer consumed 30GB data per month in 2023 - a 20% increase from 2022, with 25.1GB per month.

However, when comparing the difference to Three’s 2021 results, the increase was even greater, by a whopping 57.89% - the average Three customer consumed just 19GB per month in 2021.

This means average data usage per month increased by 11GB in just 2 years.

If following the same growth trajectory, we can assume an estimated increase of 25.68% per year, predicting the average Three customer will consume 37.7GB per month in 2024, followed by 47.4GB in 2025.

Three also announced that their customers consume more data than any other UK network, citing Enders Analysis, an independent research company, which covers the telecommunications industry.

This claim is further corroborated by data from Ofcom’s latest Communications Market Report. According to the regulator, there was a 24% increase in average mobile data usage across all UK networks from 2021 to 2022, reaching 8GB per month. This not only supports but emphasises Three’s assertion that its customers consume the most data, with an average consumption of 25.1GB per month in 2022.

Three’s latest financial results also revealed that for the first time in over a decade, they spent more money than they earned. This was partly attributed to the costs associated with rolling out and upgrading their network to 5G.

The company expressed concerns about the sustainability of their financial situation and the competitive landscape in the UK, highlighting the need for a merger with Vodafone to build a stronger 5G network across the country.

A recent report by Opensignal revealed the UK is at the bottom of the table for 5G speeds and availability, ranking 22nd out of 25 European countries for both metrics.

Three emphasised that without approval of the merger, the UK’s 5G network will continue to lag behind Europe and the rest of the world.

The Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) recently said that the potential £15bn merger could lead to higher prices for consumers, with the proposed new company becoming the biggest UK network with 27 million customers.