EE UK Sees Mobile Internet Traffic for Video Games Jump 31%

Mobile operator EE (BT) has today reported that mobile broadband (4G, 5G) usage related to internet video game traffic on their network has increased by 31% over the past six months, while the number of people enjoying mobile gaming also increase by 18% during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Interestingly, more women (54%) than men (44%) were found to be picking up a mobile game for the first time and nearly a third of mobile gamers admit to having gamed while on the loo (it’s unclear if this was for a no.1, no.2 or both at the same time), while 15% have gamed when they should have been working. Meanwhile, 69% of mobile gamers said they were playing more during the lockdown.

A quarter of gamers said that spending time with friends and family was the number one reason they play games and 17% had plans to play with friends outdoors, while lockdown measures were still in place. The smartphone was also found to be the main gaming device for a quarter of British gamers. Finally, 76% said they would stream more high-quality games on their smartphone if they didn’t have to worry about their data allowance.

All of this is of course intended to help highlight EE’s launch of their Xbox Game Pass Ultimate add-on with unlimited data for gaming, which is an add-on that costs £10 per month for existing Pay Monthly mobile customers (i.e. those with a smartphone bundle) and gives you access to enjoy over 100 Xbox games on your phone. BT has already launched something similar for their broadband ISP customers (here).

Alistair Wilson, EE’s Director of Partnerships, said:

“It’s clear from the research that mobile gaming is on the rise, and it offers a whole host of benefits – not least being a really important way for people to keep in touch with friends and family during the lockdowns of the last 12 months. As restrictions lift, our new gaming add-on will allow customers to access and play over 100 high quality games with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – on the UK’s number one network for 5G and gaming – and all without the need to worry about their monthly data allowance.”

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