2 min readReporting from WhistleOut unveiled just how much mobile data Swifties used during the Melbourne leg of The Era's Tour. How this is split between providers offers insight into the marketshare of Australian mobile networks.
Extrapolated out, the numbers show that around 14TB of data was used every show across Australia's three mobile networks. That is the equivelant of 1.4 million short HD videos. Telstra accounted for the largest share, with the network handling 35TB of data over the three nights- or approximately 11.6TB per performance. Optus customers uploaded 1.7TB on the first night, and Vodafone users attributed around 1TB each evening.
While Optus' statistics don't include downloads, the provider split tells us a bit about network popularity. The stats indicate that the majority of Australians are using the Telstra network, followed by Optus, and then Vodafone.
These numbers are echoed across the latest data from these telcos. According to Telstra's mid-year financial results, it now operates 23.4 million mobile services across the country. While Optus's customer base dropped to around 9 million after the 2022 cyber attack, The Singtel 2023 annual report indicates the provider had 10.4 million mobile user in March 2023. Vodafone's latest data indicates the TPG Group has 5.25 million mobile customers.
Overall customer growth hasn't been affected despite rolling price increases across mobile phone plans. Both Optus and Telstra credit Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) for the increase in mobile customers. Telstra's wholesale network saw a 23.7% growth in the last half-year, while Optus' financials from September 2023 note an uptick of 167,000 new mobile customers- 108,000 of them from amaysim alone.
