Data Traffic Falls 10% Every day in Spain During the Applause to Medics

The homage from our balconies and windows provokes a downfall in the usage of data in Spain, which has been skyrocketing since the quarantine.

The minute of applause interrupts the quarantine, and in many cases, the solitude of being confined during the coronavirus pandemic.

As this occurs every day at the same time, it has become easy for telecommunication operators to measure. At 8:00pm every day they record a downfall in the use of phones, internet and social media as these become replaced with our most traditional form of communication. During this minute cheers, whistles and clapping are exchanged between neighbours for a brief moment from the balconies or windows of our homes.

According to an array of different operators, the average decrease of data usage in this moment equates to 10% when compared to the use an hour before and after.

The peak of data usage for these operators is typically recorded at around midnight. The use of telephone calls normally peaks at around 12 or 1 in the afternoon.

So far during this quarantine, video streaming services or games and leisure activities have been the main source of data usage, in some cases up to 80%.