London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 11, 2026

Zoom confident it can meet Covid-fueled Christmas Day demand

Zoom confident it can meet Covid-fueled Christmas Day demand

Zoom is gearing up for what could end up being its busiest day ever: Christmas Day.

Around the world, lockdowns will make traveling to see friends and family on Christmas Day complicated, and for millions, illegal.

Over 18 million people in the U.K. found out on Saturday that they can no longer see their loved ones on Christmas Day as Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced strict new rules. London and much of southeast England were put into “Tier 4” in an effort to try to slow the spread of a new strain of the coronavirus that’s believed to be up to 70% more transmissible.

Brits instantly started discussing the prospect of a Christmas Day Zoom call, with some taking to social media to discuss the idea. Not everyone was thrilled by the prospect.


The idea of a Christmas Day Zoom quiz has also been floated in some families.


Louise Jack, a freelancer in London and a mother, told CNBC she assumes she’ll be “Zooming” with her daughter on Christmas Day.

“She’s in Brighton and two of her housemates are stuck there too because their families are in Tier 4,” Jack said, adding that FaceTime is also an option. “We’ll make the best of it as we have done with everything this year. And we will get together and have a Christmas when we can.”

Zoom said on Dec. 16 that it would remove its 40-minute limit over the holidays for those who don’t pay for the service, helping it to compete with other video conferencing platforms like Skype, Google Meets, FaceTime, Messenger and WhatsApp. The free Zoom period includes Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day

As a result, Christmas Day could well end up being Zoom’s busiest day ever in terms of calls. But will Zoom’s servers be able to cope with the demand? A Zoom spokesperson said the company was confident.

“We operate our own global (co-located) data centers around the globe, providing significant control and flexibility when it comes to routing both audio and video traffic,” the spokesperson told CNBC. “In addition, we work with public cloud providers to help with increased demand.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
English Councils to Gain Power to Introduce Tourist Taxes by 2028
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Shadow Cabinet
Firefighters Make Progress Containing Major Wildfires in South Wales
John Lewis Partnership Reports £124 Million Loss
Study Says UK AI Data Centres Will Create Only a Quarter of Forecast Jobs
UK Government Considers Higher Industrial Water Prices Amid Supply Pressures
Andy Burnham Holds First Call With Donald Trump as UK Prime Minister
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record as Heatwaves Drive Hospital Admissions
Home Secretary Orders Police Crackdown on Far-Right Anti-Migrant Vigilantes
UK Supreme Court Rules Northern Ireland Religious Education Curriculum Breaches Human Rights Standards
Markets Price in Four Bank of England Rate Rises by Next Summer
House of Commons Prepares Free Vote on Assisted Dying Bill
UK Government Bans Trade With Israeli Settlements in Occupied Territories
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Artificial Intelligence Investment Supports Expansion
Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Keir Starmer Resigns
John Lewis Partnership Loss Widens to £124 Million
UK Government to Put White Working-Class Social Mobility at Centre of Equality Policy
McLaren Plans £450 Million Technology Investment Creating 1,000 UK Jobs
UK Chancellor Faces Calls for Wealth Taxes and Public Ownership in Autumn Budget
English Mayors to Gain Powers to Impose Uncapped Overnight Tourist Taxes
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Government Against Bank Windfall Taxes
UK Air Traffic Control Outage Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
UK Imposes Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
UK Borrowing Costs Surge as Middle East Tensions Push Long-Term Gilt Yields to Highest Since 1998
Buckingham Palace Says Prince Harry and Meghan Will Not Resume Official Royal Duties
UK Treasury Faces Calls to Scrap £100,000 Childcare Support Threshold
Trades Union Congress Urges Labour Government to Rewrite Migration Policy
Riot Police Deployed After Anti-Migrant Protests Turn Violent in Portsmouth
UK Considers Replacing Some Disability Cash Payments With Direct Services
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Chancellor Against Higher Banking Taxes
UK Announces New Sanctions Targeting Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Metropolitan Police Investigate Alleged Illegal Donations to Reform UK
UK Charges Wiltshire Man With Assisting Russian Intelligence
UK Orders Urgent Review After Air Traffic Failure Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
Merz Rebukes AfD Expansion in Saxony-Anhalt
King Charles Confirms Prince Harry and Meghan Will Remain Private Citizens
Labour Selects Former Child Refugee for By-Election in Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Foreign Private Equity Accelerates Takeovers of London-Listed Industrial Companies
NHS Maternity Care Faces Scrutiny Over Support for Mothers After Caesarean Births
BBC Warns Staff Strikes Are Likely Amid Job Cuts and Programme Cancellations
English Housing Affordability Improves to Best Level in More Than a Decade
UK Health Commission Proposes Framework for Wider AI Adoption Across NHS
Labour Faces Pressure for Wealth Tax Ahead of Autumn Budget
Metropolitan Police Open Criminal Investigation Into Alleged Foreign Donations to Reform UK
UK Police Deploy Riot Officers After Anti-Immigration Unrest in Portsmouth and Dover
UK Defends Sanctions on Israeli Settlements Despite Diplomatic Retaliation
UK Air Traffic Control Failure Cancels More Than 1,000 Flights and Disrupts 65,000 Passengers
Compass Urges £10 Million Wealth Tax and Public Ownership Ahead of UK Autumn Budget
UK Government’s Devolution Plans Face House of Lords Scrutiny
Maldives Seeks New Chagos Sovereignty Talks With UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham
×