The concert of US superstar Taylor Swift has skyrocketed data consumption in the mobile networks at the stadium in Gelsenkirchen. The telecommunications provider Vodafone announced that in the Veltins Arena on Wednesday evening, 1,600 gigabytes were transmitted in just three hours, which is about 20 percent more than during the also sold-out Round of 16 match of the football European Championship between England and Slovakia at the same venue at the end of June.
O2 Telefónica reported that around 4,000 gigabytes of data were transmitted on-site during the concert, which is more than double the amount from the AC/DC concert in the Veltins Arena in May. Compared to the European Championship match between Spain and Italy in the stadium a month ago, the data consumption by the “Swifties” was 40 percent higher. Fans of the US singer took photos and videos and sent them to family and friends, made video calls during the concert, and recorded footage that they streamed online.
Swifties don’t just pull out their smartphones for a moment
The differing data usage between football fans and the fans of the US singer was striking. Football fans send a lot of data when they arrive at the stadium and watch the team warm up. The kickoff also prompts them to take a video, which is then sent out immediately. However, after that, data consumption drops – many spectators then put their smartphones in their pockets and focus on the field.
When goals are scored or a penalty is awarded, some stadium visitors pull out their phones and take recordings, which they often send afterward – so there are short spikes in data traffic in between. In contrast, during Taylor Swift’s songs, attendees continuously use their smartphones to stream live images and videos to social media. According to Vodafone, the data volume remained at a consistently high level throughout the entire Taylor Swift concert.