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February 06, 2014

Texting Torrent: Verizon Customers Used 1.9 Terabytes of Data at Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is an excellent litmus test of understanding what Americans are into, whether judging the content and delivery of the Super Bowl commercials to tracking what foods are being delivered during the game. This year, between tweets, texts and general mobile data usage, football fans within the stadium at Super Bowl XLVIII used almost two full terabytes of data – and that's just counting Verizon's customers.

People now use their mobile devices more than ever, and mobility means that big public events will see some of the greatest usage statistics for smartphones. This was clearly the case at the Super Bowl, where thousands of cheering fans were using their various devices to talk about the game in various formats. Whether they're texting friends and family to talk about the last play, tweeting some trash-talk on the competition or simply taking a selfie with the hot dog they just bought at the concession stand, it all goes through the network of their chosen mobile provider.

1.9 Terabytes is a Super Bowl record, over eight times Verizon's recorded usage at last year's Super Bowl in New Orleans. This figure is not indicative of the fan count at the stadium, nor is it a clear sign that Verizon's popularity has boosted either. Instead, this data usage makes it clear that Americans are far more active on mobile networks than they were even a year ago. The popularity of mobile devices has skyrocketed in the past year, to the point that the 4G LTE data capacity in MetLife Stadium was quadrupled in preparation for the big game. A wise move, considering how much data was used.

Verizon Wireless may list themselves as the official wireless provider of the NFL, but they were certainly not the only provider at the stadium during the big game. Other providers have not yet released figures on how much data their networks carried, but the combined figures could make Super Bowl XLVIII one of the largest social media events in history – for now, at least.


Edited by Rory J. Thompson


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