DOCSIS 3.1 services are driving a step change in broadband consumption, with median usage more than tripling compared to DOCSIS 3.0 subscribers, according to the 3Q2025 edition of OpenVault’s Broadband Insights (OVBI) report.
Based on data from contiguous DOCSIS 3.1 and DOCSIS 3.0 networks serving more than 100,000 homes, OpenVault reports that DOCSIS 3.1 customers recorded median monthly usage of 530.54 GB in the third quarter, 207.7% higher than the 172.43 GB seen on legacy DOCSIS 3.0 plant.
Average monthly consumption also surged for DOCSIS 3.1 subscribers, with:
• total usage at 719.36 GB, up 85.1% on DOCSIS 3.0’s 388.73 GB
• downstream usage at 660.97 GB, 84.2% higher than the 358.85 GB of DOCSIS 3.0
• upstream usage at 58.4 GB, 95.4% higher than the 29.88 GB recorded on DOCSIS 3.0
Across the networks studied, downstream speeds rose by more than 53% to 624 Mbps (from 407 Mbps) and upstream speeds to 66.4 Mbps (from 43.37 Mbps). DOCSIS 3.1 subscribers are also more than twice as likely to be “Power Users” of 1 TB or more per month, and more than three times as likely to fall into the “Extreme Power User” category of 5 TB or more.
In 3Q25, 23.57% of DOCSIS 3.1 homes consumed at least 1 TB, compared to 10.80% on DOCSIS 3.0. Super power users of 2 TB or more accounted for 5.01% of DOCSIS 3.1 subscribers, versus 1.87% of DOCSIS 3.0 households, while 0.19% of DOCSIS 3.1 customers exceeded 5 TB, against 0.06% on DOCSIS 3.0.
The latest OVBI, which analyses data from millions of broadband lines, puts overall average monthly usage at 640.8 GB in 3Q25, up 8.6% year-on-year from 590.1 GB. Upstream usage grew 17.4% over the same period, outpacing the 13–14% annual growth rates seen in recent third quarters, while median usage ticked up from 431.4 GB in Q2 to 438.87 GB in Q3.
OpenVault notes that growth in super power users (2 TB+) is slowing but still rising – up 22.5% year-on-year in Q3 2025 – and warns that “absolute levels remain elevated”, underlining the need for proactive capacity planning and upstream optimisation as operators head into 2026.
The DOCSIS 3.1 findings draw on OpenVault’s own SaaS-based broadband management tools, including its Vantage PNM proactive network maintenance and Vantage PMA profile management applications, which the company says are key to optimising DOCSIS 3.1 performance and managing rising demand.
