Just how much data is Pokemon Go using?

It might be eating through a lot of data on your phone - but it's just a blip when it comes to New Zealand's soaring internet usage. Photo / Michael Craig

Pokémon Go might be the biggest internet craze we've seen in a long time - but when it comes to data usage it's just another drop in the online ocean.

Vodafone New Zealand said today that since the augmented reality game was released last week, the network operator had not seen any spike in data usage.

Company spokesperson Andrea Brady said data usage attributed to this game would have to involve a significant proportion of the population to have made any long term effect.

"It is estimated that these services could use around 50-60 megabytes MB of data per hour, and data usage certainly depends on the movement and distance the player covers, as well as the period of time for which they play."

Every month more than two terabytes of data (2 million megabytes) is carried across the Vodafone network.

Brady said Pokémon GO relied on multiple web services including Google Maps and Google Places which would be responsible for the data usage.

A Spark spokeperson also confirmed the latest gaming craze had not caused any significant spikes in data usage on its network.

As more and more Kiwis use the internet to find cartoon characters, telecommunications network operator Chorus today released statistics showing we are among the highest users of data in the world.

Data consumption in New Zealand has soared 100 per cent in the last 15 months to an average of 100GB per month.

Household data usage is forecast to increase a further 64 per cent by June next year.

Chorus head of insights Rosalie Nelson said the rapid growth in data usage reflected the move to digital home living.

"This exponential rate of growth places New Zealand among some of the most internet data hungry countries in the world.

New Zealand's top data consumption areas:

Source: Chorus

"Already more than half of New Zealanders now watch internet TV and the number of online film and TV platforms has exploded," she said.

"But this isn't just about watching more and more content online, it's also about the rapid digitisation of our everyday lives. Broadband as the fourth utility sits at the heart of the home and plays a pivotal role in how we function in our day-to-day lives."

Two third of adults now own or had access to three or more smart devices, Nelson said.

By 2022 the OECD forecasts there will be 14 billion smart devices connected to households worldwide.

"In terms of future growth in data consumption - we see another big spike coming through the pipeline as the focus in entertainment shifts from increasingly high-definition to immersion with the arrival of virtual reality and 360 degree viewing technologies."