Data use in Christchurch has increased by 70 percent on some days since the lockdown.
Photo: 123RF
The provider of the fibre broadband network in Christchurch, Enable, says it is seeing unprecedented use of its network.
It provides fibre broadband network to 115,000 connected households and businesses in Christchurch.
Enable chief executive Steve Fuller said the network was designed for the long-term future, where data usage and bandwidth requirements would be considerably higher than they are under normal circumstances in 2020.
He said if the company had not invested in additional capacity last year, the network would be under considerable pressure.
"The Covid-19 lockdown has offered a window into the future, where video conferencing to connect with friends, family and workmates is the norm; the number of people relying solely on the internet to do business has skyrocketed; children are online learning every day; and streamed entertainment is the primary source of content."
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He said Enable has seen approximately a 70 percent increase in data usage across its network on some days when compared to what was happening before the lockdown.
Enable says usage peaked on March 27, the second day of the lockdown, with over two million gigabytes of data downloaded.
"What's interesting is that we're seeing a significant increase in uploaded data from the likes of video conferencing and sharing content online and photos," said Fuller.
He said fibre customers in Christchurch can be confident that they can use their broadband connection as much as they like.
Enable said it is carrying out limited field work for essential connections only, so other customers who now want fibre broadband connections will have to wait until after the Covid-19 lockdown.
