Posted: 22nd Dec, 2011 By: MarkJ


Broadband ISP TalkTalk UK has predicted that this Christmas will be the "
most connected of all time" when an estimated
16 million gadgets go online during 25th December 2011. To help out they're offering "
certain customers" a
free speed optimisation visit from one of their
Bright Spark engineers (usually costs £50) who will make sure that your broadband line is running at the fastest possible speed.
The provider expects its
network traffic to jump by a further 25% over last Christmas and hit the dizzy heights of
320 Gigabits (roughly equivalent to over 2 million people streaming music from Spotify at the same time).
Tristia Clarke, TalkTalk's Commercial Director, said:
"Our research shows that three quarters of us will call friends and families this Christmas, while around 60% will check their emails and email loved ones on the day. Almost 40% of people say that modern technology has brought their extended families closer together and a third feel that even if they are not with their friends and family this Christmas, they still feel a part of the festivities due to Facebook and Skype."
Customers can find out if they qualify for the free speed optimisation visit by using the
Speed Checker on TalkTalk's website, although it's unclear what the parameters for their promotion are. Apparently their Bright Sparks have
visited over 1,000 homes and have helped them get an average speed increase of around 4Mbps.