Telenor announces five times increase in digital phone calls during New Year’s Eve

Anticipating a new year with new opportunities, Telenor Myanmar sees a spike in Voice Traffic as Telenor Myanmar customers picked up their phones to wish family and loved ones well.

Between 9 PM on 31 December 2020 and 2 AM on 1 January 2021, both voice, SMS, and data traffic soared. In a year where Myanmar people have stayed at home and celebrated most festivals and holidays digitally – New Year celebrations, too, went online.

Streaming, web browsing, social media services, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) remarkably increased on New Year’s Eve 2020 compared to normal daily usage. Telenor Myanmar’s recently launched 4.5G, along with the 4GSuperLTE+ technology, had the highest voice and data traffic with voice and SMS traffic hitting records of 468% and 371% respectively during New Year’s Eve celebrations compared to normal daily usage. Photo Source https://www.telenor.com.mm

Streaming traffic also increased as VIU application led video streaming with a 111% increase and Netflix streaming increased by 14%. Music streaming application Joox also saw a 46% traffic increase. The increase in VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) traffic during the New Year was led by Facebook’s Messenger (516%), followed by WhatsApp (295%), WeChat (168%), and Viber (132%). Among social media providers, Facebook saw the highest increase with 46% more traffic.

“These data analyses demonstrate that while the pandemic may have set physical limitations to social gatherings and festivities, COVID-19 could not stop people from sharing their joy via digital communications. Telenor Myanmar welcomed 2021 together with the people with a live countdown on MRTV-4, and as always our teams were prepared for handling significant traffic spikes as our customers reached out to family and loved ones at the stroke of midnight. On New Year’s Eve, this is what matters most to our customers, and we’re proud to be able to deliver the best data experience even under extreme conditions like these,” said Jai Prakash, Chief Technology Officer at Telenor Myanmar.

Beyond the year celebrations, 2020 saw significant increases in digital communication across Myanmar. Video conferencing data traffic has massively increased due to the pandemic as the new normal working culture turns to work from home. Zoom (3991%), Microsoft Teams (219%), and Google Hangout (155%) are the top three leading video conferencing platforms. Data traffic in file-sharing services also increased with  OneDrive (969%), Dropbox (145%), and Google (Drive 29%) as the leading services. Photo Source https://www.telenor.com.mm

Since Myanmar reported its first COVID-19 case in March 2020, April was the month with the highest carrying traffic. For the data usage during the 1^st and 2^nd waves of COVID-19, Telenor Myanmar saw 16.5% growth in the first wave (March to April) compared to January to February and 5.4% growth in the second wave (September to October) compared to July to August.

“Telenor Myanmar is committed to connecting our customers to what matters most, by bringing innovative and affordable products and services that meet their needs. As we help fight COVID-19 together, digital connectivity will play a key role in facilitating Myanmar’s post-pandemic recovery. The traffic increases we’ve seen in 2020 means a new normal also for us, as people and businesses across Myanmar fully embrace digital tools. Telenor Myanmar is committed to leading the country’s data evolution in 2021 and beyond by creating platforms that are relevant and accessible for all,” Jai Prakash added.

Check the link below for more information about Telenor Myanmar https://www.telenor.com.mm.