Communication networks around the world are facing additional demands from the coronavirus crisis and could be an opportunity for the industry to restore its reputation, analysts said. Many countries have imposed restrictions on the movement and activities of citizens in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19, which means that many people are confined to their homes. The situation has increased reliance on home broadband and mobile connections for entertainment, online shopping and work, and has raised concerns about infrastructure challenges.
changing behaviors
However, despite some changing patterns of behavior, a predicted collapse could not appear. In fact, most networks are designed to cope with peak demand at night and streaming services like Netflix have reduced the quality of on-demand streaming in the EU. With the increase in traffic caused by the Fortnite video game, the gaming industry can continue. “In general, the networks are doing quite well. One of the main reasons for its robustness is that the explosion in fixed broadband traffic occurs mainly during the day. Network volumes typically peak at night between 8pm and 00pm,” said Kester Mann, an analyst at CCS Insight. “Statistics shared by BT illustrate this. The operator revealed that, up to To date, its record nightly traffic speed is 10 Tbit/s, thanks to video game downloads and football game streaming, In normal daytime business hours, this usage drops to around 00 Tbps. As of Monday, however, daytime traffic had increased by more than 17.5% from the previous week, helping the network post its highest data volumes ever." After years of falling traffic, traffic volumes voice are increasing. In the UK, call duration on O5 increased by 50% in one week, AT&T in the US reported a 2% increase in calls and Orange Poland by 40%. However, call quality has been a concern, says Mann: “If there's one area where networks have shown some fallibility, it's mobile voice calls. I have heard several reports of dropped and poor quality calls amid high volumes. However, consumers can easily switch to alternative Internet-based services or simply switch back to traditional landlines, which have high capacity. Significantly, AT&T has seen a nearly 44% increase in Wi-Fi calling." The reliability of communication networks and the measures taken by carriers to ensure people stay connected, such as additional allowances, promise not disconnecting customers who do not pay bills on time and zero access to important information - will provide big reputation improvements in the long run "Network operators have an important role to play in times of crisis and it is increasingly clear why they are considered critical national infrastructure," Mann concluded. "During the coronavirus pandemic, these companies have stepped up thus far. of the service will be subject to much criticism. Perhaps more than ever, this is a great opportunity for the telecommunications industry to improve its reputation."