King's Day causes significant peak on KPN's mobile network

King's Day 2026 once again resulted in a clear increase in the use of KPN's mobile network. Throughout the country, photos and videos were shared en masse, and people were in close contact with each other via apps and social media. The network remained stable, even during the busiest moments of the day.

14 percent more data traffic than last year

Total mobile data traffic on King's Day (Monday, April 27, 2026) was 14 percent higher than during King's Day last year (Saturday, April 26, 2025). The growth was visible throughout the Netherlands. In the five major cities, the increase in traffic was comparable everywhere. Notably, upload traffic increased particularly sharply (+21 percent). This aligns with the picture of people sharing many photos and videos via social media during King's Day. Download traffic also increased (+15 percent).

Growth visible on both 4G and 5G

The use of both 4G and 5G increased. Data traffic via 5G grew by 37 percent, while 4G traffic increased by 12 percent. Consequently, the share of 5G in total traffic continues to grow.

Busiest times in the afternoon

Nationwide, the busiest peaks in the network occurred between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM. This pattern was also visible in the major cities. An exception is Dokkum, where the King celebrated King's Day this year. There, the peak occurred in the morning, between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM. The royal visit caused mobile data traffic in Dokkum to be seven times higher than on King's Day last year.

Also extra crowds during King's Night

Extra network traffic was already visible on the night preceding King's Day, particularly in the major cities. In cities such as The Hague and Utrecht, a clear peak was measured in the evening hours, around 9:00 to 10:00 PM.