HOBOKEN, N.J.—Amid the parties, family meals, visits from Santa and religious celebrations that contribute to the tapestry of holiday traditions in America, it may be time to add a new element: massive broadband usage.

According to the latest estimate from industry analytics firm OpenVault, broadband consumption is expected to grow to as much as 330GB per subscriber—a 19% increase from the Q3 2019 average of 275GB per subscriber.

“The holiday season is prime time for spikes in broadband usage that put increased stress on operators’ infrastructures,” said Mark Trudeau, CEO and founder of OpenVault. “As the ribbons and bows come off countless new devices and they are connected to the internet, they combine with cord-cutting, broadband network upgrades and higher speed packages to drive usage to record levels, ultimately setting the stage for the year ahead.”

Relying on historical trends identified over the past several years, the analytics firm anticipates the mean broadband usage during the Christmas/January holiday season will hit between 315GB and 330GB per subscriber.

To put that usage into perspective, holiday season broadband consumption stood at 38GB in 2012 and climbed to 270GB for the 2018 holiday season, OpenVault said.

Last year, the company also began tracking growth in the U.S. consumer device landscape. It recorded a 5.3% increase in connected devices the week after Christmas as compared to the week before, OpenVault said.

More information is available from the OpenVault website.

ARLINGTON, VA.—According to a recent study by the Consumer Technology Association, more people will be in line to buy new technology gifts this holiday season. In the “23rd Annual Consumer Technology Holiday Purchase Pattern Study,” CTA identifies that roughly 68 percent of U.S. consumers (around 170 million people) plan to buy things like drones, virtual reality tech and wearables; this is a 6 percent increase over last year.

Photo credit: CTA

CTA forecasts that spending on technology will increase 3.1 percent to an estimated $36.05 billion during this holiday season. In addition, more shopping is expected to take place online, with total online sales jumping 16.4 percent to $84.2 billion, while online shopping through mobile devices should grow near 45.2 percent to $20.1 billion. Physical locations may still be the primary place where customers purchase tech (74 per cent), but those numbers are on the decline by a reported three percentage points from 2015.

As far as what people are expected to buy, headphones remain the most popular gift at around 40 percent, in large part due to the move toward wireless audio devices. Other things high on the wish list, per CTA, include laptops, TVs, smartphones, tablets and videogames consoles.

However, a range of emerging technologies are also expected to be popular items. Wearables are among the most popular of emerging tech, with 27 percent of people planning to buy a wearable, whether it be a smart watch or fitness activity trackers. Other new techs that people are looking at include smart home devices (24 percent plan to buy), connected or digital toys (11 percent), VR headsets (10 percent), and drones (9 percent).

Another interesting note highlighted by CTA’s report is a reason why some people may choose to limit their holiday spending. Along with the usual reasons of not being able to afford certain gifts, increased cost of living, or a fixed income, the presidential election is delaying people’s holiday shopping as some (38 percent) wait for the results to determine how much they can plan to spend during the holidays.

To see CTA’s full report, click here.