As we start 2021, I thought it was a good moment to thank you for being a loyal TalkTalk customer over the past year. It’s not been an easy time for any of us since the world changed back in March. However, our ability to go online and remain connected with the world has been so important in a million and one different ways, and it’s been a privilege to provide that service for you.
We all would have liked to have seen our loved ones in person in this holiday period. But the rules meant we celebrated online instead. I’ve just been told that upload traffic was up 60% this Christmas Day versus last - video calls with friends and family clearly one of the reasons for that. Many of you got a new tablet or computer in your stocking - we had a record number of devices connected to our network on Christmas Day!
It wasn’t just the holiday period where demand was high - customers’ average daily usage rose 50% over the year as a whole. Fortunately, we had been investing in our network for many years, which meant we were well prepared for the surges in demand we’ve experienced throughout the pandemic. And we carried on that work during the year to make it faster and give it more capacity. (By the way, it’s always worth remembering that all our packages are totally unlimited, so you can continue connecting with friends, family and colleagues from the safety of your home without having to worry about usage caps.)
We also brought in improvements to our digital service channels to make it even easier for you to contact us quickly and conveniently. With our 24/7 online Service Centre you can run a live connection check and book an engineer if you need one without having to call us. You can also check your bill or explore your package options in My Account.
We’ve got other exciting plans for 2021 in the works which I’ll update you on as soon as I can.
One change that’s potentially on the horizon in the first few months of this year involves changes to our ownership structure. You may have seen some reports that we may look to take the business private. This means the company would no longer be on the public stock market. This news doesn’t change our strategy of giving our customers the fastest and most reliable fibre broadband we can, at affordable prices. In fact, it strengthens it and our founder, Sir Charles Dunstone, and I look forward to building on our considerable momentum in the coming weeks, months, and years.
Thank you again for being with us this year. From everyone at TalkTalk, we wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy New Year.
Warm Regards,
Tristia Harrison, TalkTalk CEO