Broadband data consumption growing, but pace of growth is slowing – OpenVault

Amplifying an already troubling trend for content delivery networks (CDNs), monthly broadband data usage is still climbing, but the pace of growth is slowing, according to a new study from OpenVault.

Based on anonymized data collected from millions of individual broadband customers, OpenVault's Q3 Broadband Insights Report found that monthly average data consumption hit 590.1 gigabytes, up 7.2% from a year-ago average of 550.2GB.

OpenVault said this marked the lowest year-over-year growth rate observed since it began reporting these findings in 2012.

"Average data usage is nearly flat (up less than 1%) from the 585.8GB observed in 2Q24, consistent with historical seasonal patterns," the company added.

CDNs feel the pinch

The slowing growth rate is having a ripple effect on CDNs. As Light Reading reported earlier this week, companies such as Akamai, Fastly and Edgio are managing this dramatic slowdown via a mix of layoffs, restructurings and even bankruptcies.

Meanwhile, the pace of upstream data usage is exceeding that of the downstream.

OpenVault said Q3 2024 upstream data usage was 40.9GB, up 13.9% over the 35.9GB seen in the year-ago quarter. Meanwhile, downstream data consumption growth in Q3 dropped to 6.8% versus 10.9% a year earlier – the lowest since OpenVault began breaking out downstream and upstream data trends in 2017.

(Source: OpenVault Broadband Insights Report Q3 2024)

But average speeds delivered downstream and upstream are still climbing. OpenVault said average downstream speeds in Q3 rose 13.2% to 564 Mbit/s, and average upstream speeds climbed 11% to 31 Mbit/s.

Notably, cable operators have been increasingly focused on enhancing the upstream – typically the weak link in most hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) networks – using "mid-split" and "high-split" upgrades that bulk up the amount of spectrum dedicated to the upstream. Additionally, many fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks are now capable of delivering symmetrical gigabit and multi-gigabit speeds. Cable operators are also gravitating toward low-latency capabilities, with Comcast inching closer to a commercial launch following a string of trials.

Among other trends, OpenVault said "Super Power Users" – those that consume 2 terabytes or more per month – increased 24.6% year-over-year, from 2.9% to 3.6%. "Extreme Power Users" who chew up 5TB or more per month jumped 44.2% in Q3 but still represent a sliver of the overall base.

Adding demographics

OpenVault's latest study added a new twist that explores average data consumption and provisioned speeds based on demographic groups (using US Census Bureau data).

In one such example, households earning $150,000 or more per year saw average data usage of 622GB on average provisioned speeds of 713 Mbit/s, while households earning less than $50,000 per year saw slightly higher average data usage (639GB) on slower connections (average provisioned speeds of 530 Mbit/s).

Unsurprisingly, data usage climbs in larger households. Single and two-person households saw average monthly data usage of 606GB (on average provisioned speeds of 578 Mbit/s), while those with four or more members consumed more than 1TB per month on average (on average provisioned speeds of 800 Mbit/s-plus).