A year ago, the amount of calls grew massively by 117% – DNA’s data reveals how the coronavirus has changed how Finns spend time on mobile and online

For years, it has been a topic of discussion how people increasingly opt for different messaging apps instead of speaking over the phone. However, data gathered by DNA shows that the coronavirus pandemic turned Finns to again make traditional phone calls. A particularly large spike in calls was seen on 16 March 2020 when the Government declared a state of emergency in Finland. On that day, the number of calls increased by as much as 117% from normal levels.

“The declaration of a state of emergency was clearly a moment that made people want to call their family and friends and speak over the phone. Humans are social by nature and at the time, no-one knew what was happening. People felt it was important to ask their loved ones if everything was all right and talk about how the world would change,” says Haikonen, analysing the data.

As the year progressed, the spike in call traffic fell but the numbers of calls remained well above previous years. Haikonen tells that call traffic is again on the rise. 

“Even with Zoom and Teams in remote work, people still lack physical contacts. No doubt this adds to the desire to speak over the phone. This is also supported by the fact that the average length of calls has increased from early 2020 by as much as a minute. Seeing others has been replaced with listening. The increased volume and length of traditional calls indicates that people still want to speak to one another without video, too. I have personally also found that a traditional call is sometimes a much easier method of communication than a video call.” 

Data usage grew explosively – TV viewership also trending upwards 

The amount of transferred data has been growing for years over both mobile and wired connections. According to DNA’s data, the pandemic has greatly accelerated this trend. For example, mobile data use volumes in DNA’s network spiked by more than 30% as soon as the pandemic restrictions began in March 2020. In October–December, subscription-specific monthly data use was around 38.8 GB/month, up 35% from the previous year.

“Considering that traditional TV is being replaced by streaming and remote working and online meetings are here to stay, it is clear that data volumes will only continue to increase. Both of these trends have been on the horizon for years, and the pandemic has simply accelerated the pace of change,” says Haikonen. 

Despite this, even the viewership of traditional TV via DNA TV increased by up to 45% between January 2020 and January 2021. 

At the start of the pandemic, the daily peak hour of data use quickly shifted from the afternoon to the morning between 10 and 11. According to Haikonen, this shift was due in particular to remote schools. 

“It was easy to see the effect by the fact that when schools reopened, the peak hour returned to 4 in the afternoon. Even in our home, data use shoots up right away when the kids get back from school.”

Increasing data consumption present a challenge for operators. Haikonen is confident that Finnish data networks can handle the load, but urges everyone to think about their household’s broadband needs.

“Operators invest large sums in building networks and introducing new technologies, such as 5G, in order to keep up with increasing data volumes. In my experience, more and more households have come to see the need for faster and better broadband access, and many have noticed that their internet is not in as great a shape as thought. I recommend anyone struggling with a sluggish internet to get their connection speed updated and their home network sorted. In times like these, reliable internet access makes daily life much easier.” 

Further information for the media:

Jarno Haikonen, VP, Broadband and TV Business, DNA Plc, tel. +358 44 044 2058, jarno.haikonen@dna.fi

DNA Corporate Communications, tel. +358 (0)44 044 8000, communications@dna.fi