Record data consumption in mobile communications – 5G and AI ensure network stability

Whether street carnival, festival tent or old town pub – Carnival 2026 was not only exuberant in analogue terms, but also more intense than ever in digital terms. Between Weiberfastnacht and Rosenmontag, a total of 2 million gigabytes of data were transmitted on Deutsche Telekom’s mobile network in the strongholds of Cologne, Düsseldorf, Bonn, Mainz and Aachen – a new record.

By way of comparison, this corresponds to around 1.3 billion costume selfies, each with a size of 1.5 megabytes. 54 per cent of the total data traffic ran over the 5G network.

5G as the backbone for major events

Major events such as carnival regularly pose special challenges for mobile networks: high device density, parallel live streams, social media uploads and messaging in confined spaces.

This is where 5G really came into its own. The higher network capacity and more efficient use of frequencies enabled stable connections even with tens of thousands of users in densely crowded areas.

The highest data peak was not recorded at 11:11 a.m. on Weiberfastnacht, but around 1:00 p.m. – an indication of the time-delayed dynamics of digital interactions.

Cologne remains the digital carnival capital

In the city ranking, Cologne leads with 884,000 gigabytes, well ahead of Düsseldorf (484,000 GB) and Bonn (276,000 GB). Mainz (169,000 GB) and Aachen (152,000 GB) follow in the next places.

Remarkably, the day with the highest data volume was Carnival Friday – not Weiberfastnacht or Rosenmontag.

Mobility data also shows clear trends: more than half of the revellers in Cologne’s old town travelled from the surrounding area of North Rhine-Westphalia. Despite traditional rivalry, significantly more revellers from Düsseldorf travelled to Cologne than vice versa.

International participation and demographic differences

Just under a third of data traffic was accounted for by so-called ‘roamers’ – users from foreign networks. Guests from Austria, the Netherlands, France and Belgium were particularly well represented.

There were also clear demographic differences within Cologne:

• The 20–29 age group dominated on Zülpicher Straße.
• Around Heumarkt and Alter Markt, the focus was on the 50–59 age group.

Overall, the gender ratio was almost evenly distributed, with around 50 per cent female revellers and 50 per cent male revellers.

AI in network operation: the RAN Guardian Agent

Stability in the background was ensured by, among other things, the so-called ‘RAN Guardian Agent’ – an AI-supported multi-agent system from Telekom.

The system continuously analyses network behaviour, identifies potential bottlenecks and automatically initiates optimisation measures. During the carnival days, the AI identified around 130 events, each with over 10,000 expected participants. A total of 611 mobile phone sites were checked and monitored in advance.

Despite the event configuration, short-term peak loads occurred at only five locations – here too, the AI was able to make adjustments to compensate.

Social media as a driver

The most used app during the carnival days was Instagram, followed by YouTube, TikTok and Facebook. Digital exchange is thus an integral part of modern large-scale events – in real time, visually powerful and cross-platform.

Data as a planning tool for security and infrastructure

The ‘Motion Data’ solution provided additional insights into visitor flows, origin, age groups and gender distribution. The anonymised and aggregated mobile phone data makes it possible to better plan traffic flows, optimise public transport and provide targeted support to emergency services – naturally in compliance with data protection regulations and without any personal references.

Conclusion

Carnival 2026 impressively demonstrates how closely digital infrastructure and event security are now intertwined. 5G networks and AI-supported management ensure stable communication even under extremely high loads.

For security authorities, event organisers and network operators, this means that modern large-scale events can now be managed not only with barriers and operational concepts, but also with intelligent data analysis and resilient mobile communications technology.