Internet: record levels of network traffic
On March 10th, Internet exchanges around the world recorded spikes in traffic. There are two reasons for this record level: the increased use of the Internet linked to the spread of Coronavirus and the release of a new game Call of Duty.
One of the key strategies to slow the spread of the virus is social distancing and crowd avoidance. Many companies have already asked their employees to work from home. This trend is expected to increase in the coming days as the number of cases in the United States and Europe increases. At the same time, universities are turning to online course delivery.
These decisions increase their reliance on data networks that allow for video streaming and collaboration. Kentik, a network operating company, said it has "seen an approximate 200% increase in video conferencing during working hours" in North America and Asia.
This increase in business traffic collided with the release of "Call of Duty: Warzone" on Tuesday, March 10. The release caused congestion and delays on major Internet networks, as well as record traffic.
Frankfurt's DE-CIX, one of the world's busiest interconnection points, announced on Tuesday evening a new peak traffic of more than 9.1 terabits per second, an increase of 800 gigabits per second (Gbps) compared to two weeks ago.
"Whether it's exchanging information, streaming movies, playing games online, or the exceptional situation people are currently experiencing with the COVID-19 virus, Internet use is playing an increasingly important role," said Dr. Thomas King, DE-CIX's Chief Technology Officer.
Internet use is likely to increase further in the coming days as more and more companies adopt teleworking and school systems begin to offer online courses.
"As the world faces uncertainty, the digital economy continues to allow the global economy to continue to evolve. ... Teleworking via videoconferencing on applications such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Cisco and Slack are key examples of our clients helping the world's largest companies enable and conduct business," said Marc Ganzi, CEO of Digital Bridge, part of Colony Capital's digital infrastructure business, which includes fiber, cell tower, and data center operators DataBank and Vantage.
Source : Data Center Frontier