Many Edinburgh residents are planning to gift a connected device as families get set for Christmas, according to a study by BT Full Fibre.

  • The new BT Full Fibre research lists gaming consoles, smart phones and tablets among the top presents to be gifted this Christmas
  • 25% of Edinburgh consumers plan to add a 4K TV to their home in time for Christmas
  • Children and dads identified as the most likely ‘bandwidth hoggers’ on the home network as daytime traffic on BT’s broadband network more than doubles over the course the year
  • News comes as more people than even before look to upgrade their home broadband speeds with BT’s Full Fibre offering a futureproof connection.

As the nation prepares for Christmas, a new survey by BT Full Fibre reveals that families in Edinburgh are getting ready for a connected Christmas with 85% of people gifting a connected device to their loved ones.

Smart phones are the most popular gift this year, with 39% of people in Edinburgh revealing they plan to gift one. Closely followed by tablets (30%), laptops (30%) and games consoles (33%) after the high profile launches of the next generation consoles earlier this year. TVs (25%), and smart speakers (10%) are also amongst the top tech gifts this Christmas.

On average, homes across Edinburgh already have 26 devices connected to their home Wi-Fi. This includes four smart TVs, two tablets, three laptops and two games consoles on average in each home. As Edinburgh spend more time online, using their internet connection for all manner of activities including streaming TV, home schooling, working and online gaming, BT reveals that daytime traffic across its broadband network has more than doubled during the year.

With people in Edinburgh also revealing that 25% plan to add a 4K TV to their home in time for Christmas and expect to have at least two 8K TVs in their homes in the next five years – the requirement for great home broadband connectivity in the home has never been greater.

To help meet the growing needs of Edinburgh consumers in the 2020s, both today and in the future as modern families become more connected, BT has developed a range of Full Fibre broadband plans. 

BT Full Fibre says that it is up to 25 times faster than Superfast Fibre, and that it offers a ‘super reliable’ connection, even at busy periods meaning customers can download a 4k movie in 34 seconds. This they say makes it perfect for busy connected homes providing extra capacity for when multiple online devices stream, browse, monitor and game at once, and especially good for those living with ‘bandwidth hoggers’. Over half of those polled revealed it is their children getting online which slows down their internet speed at home, and dads are in second place with 27% identifying them as the culprit to slowing internet speeds in the house. Streaming TV and playing video games are the worst for broadband hogging according to respondents.

Sharon Meadows, Director of Propositions, BT said: “With ever more connected devices in the home and Brits adopting technology so readily, we’re seeing a real need by families across the UK to future proof their home broadband connection. Our Full Fibre packages are designed to meet that need, now and in the years to come, providing ultrafast speeds and the best reliability on the market. So, no matter how large the demands of new Wi-Fi enabled devices in the home – whether it’s 8K video, virtual reality gaming or the ever-connected smart home – BT Full Fibre customers will be able to get the very most of them.”

The Gadget Show’s Ortis Deley commented: “Connected devices have fast become a key part of our everyday lives, and this year more than ever has highlighted the importance of a reliable, quality broadband connection around the home.

“That’s where BT’s Full Fibre offering comes in. Knowing you can rely on having the best performing connectivity in your home at all times of the day, reassures you that no matter what new tech you get this Christmas, or in the coming years, your home connection will be built to handle it.” 

www.bt.com/broadband/full-fibre

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.