Nearly two years ago, BT warned of the need to discuss with media owners the scheduling of the broadcast and game downloads to avoid unnecessary extra strain on infrastructures. Now, it has revealed that an update to the video game Fortnite is fuelling a surge in UK broadband demand and helping to break nationwide usage records.
The UK’s leading telco released data from its Openreach wholesale broadband network division showing that data usage on its new full-fibre network alone is up more than 35% between January and June 2025, compared with the same period in 2024.
The data showed that overall traffic on the BT national broadband network increased by 5% in the same timeframe. In addition, the study found that peak usage across Openreach’s network typically occurs between 20:00 and 22:00 when households are streaming, gaming and connecting multiple devices.
First introduced in 2017 by Epic Games, Fortnite is described by its developers as “a world of many games and other experiences”, made by different creators. The family includes Fortnite Battle Royale, which covers multiple experiences such as Battle Royale, Zero Build – Battle Royale, Reload, and Fortnite OG; Fortnite Ballistic; Lego Fortnite Odyssey; Lego Fortnite Brick Life; Rocket Racing; Fortnite Festival, including Festival Main Stage, Festival Jam Stage and Festival Battle Stage; and Fortnite Save the World.
BT said that Fortnite had become a consistent driver of peaks in demand, with major updates during 2025 coinciding with record-breaking spikes. On 21 February 2025, a large Fortnite patch pushed UK broadband traffic to 372 Petabytes (PB) – 372 million gigabytes – creating the busiest day of the year so far for its network. BT noted that this was the equivalent of streaming HD Netflix for more than 1.5 million years, nonstop; downloading more than 90 million 4K movies; or sending every person in the UK more than 5,000 high-res photos in a single day.
In addition, Patch 36.00 on 7 June 2025 saw usage hit 351PB, followed by 349PB on 8 June. Other high-traffic days included 5 January (357PB) and New Year’s Day (346PB), showing how digital demand continues to rise, even without major events.
Openreach’s data also revealed the UK’s general evolving digital habits. The top five busiest days for broadband usage in the 2025 include 21 February – Fortnite patch release (372PB); 5 January – high weekend usage (357PB); 7 June – Fortnite patch 36.00 (351PB); 8 June – continued Fortnite traffic (349PB); and 1 January – New Year’s Day (346PB).
Commenting on the data and the trends in terms of network consumption revealed by the survey, Openreach deputy chief executive Katie Milligan said: “Our usage data shows how faster, more reliable connections are reshaping the UK’s digital habits. We’ve always been a data-hungry nation, but wider access to full-fibre is enabling families and businesses to do more online – and do it faster, with fewer interruptions.
“More than 7.5 million customers are already benefiting from this upgrade – using it to work from home, access education and healthcare, and enjoy seamless entertainment and gaming. But upgrades aren’t automatic, so that still leaves over 12 million homes missing out on a future-proof connection that’s available now with freedom to choose from the widest range of providers.”
