Globe Telecom Inc. said on Monday that its voice call traffic increased by an average of 80 percent during the holidays from the same period in 2011, with its highest growth recorded on January 1 at 90 percent.

“Calling gives conversations that unique personal touch compared to texting or sending greetings via Facebook or Twitter. Sometimes it’s more heartwarming to hear real laughter instead of the popular ‘LOL.’ During the recent holiday season, we gave our subscribers more reasons to do actual calls because of our affordable bucket promos,” said Yoly Crisanto, head of corporate communications of Globe.

According to her, the increase in voice traffic in 2012 was from the growth in promo subscription for call services and promos, which tripled compared to 2011.

 Based on its network traffic data, Globe revealed that voice calls during the peak dates of December 24, 25 and 31, and January 1, increased by an average of 80 percent from the same period in 2011, with its highest growth recorded on January 1 at 90 percent.

Data usage, including Internet surfing on mobile phones or computers, increased by an average of 50 percent, with peak usage on December 25 at 57 percent.

The increase in mobile usage during Christmas and New Year usually causes network congestion and delays in the sending of text messages, with the National Telecommunications Commission ordering telecommunication firms to be prepared for the holiday network traffic.

SMS or text messaging continued to be one of the most popular forms of sending holiday greetings. Text traffic still grew by an average of 10 percent for the same period, with the peak recorded on December 25 at 13-percent growth.

The telecom firm said that subscribers enjoyed all unlimited and bucket calling promos by registering in advance or choosing the promo variant with the longer validity. The telco’s self-service menu, *143#, also allowed subscribers to easily register to promos.