Consumer bandwidth increases with demand for live streaming
Consumer bandwidth increases with demand for live streaming
There has been a change in the way people use the Internet, with a renewed focus on movie and live event streaming, according to figures from the new Spring 2011 Internet Traffic Report from software provider Sandvine.
The report shows that instead of file sharing, web users are becoming more inclined to pay for their streaming through services like BBC iPlayer, Netflix and BitTorrent. As a result of this new willingness to stream content, boosted by events such as the recent royal wedding and major sporting competitions, the vast majority of what people are watching is now paid-for and legal. It also requires greater consumer bandwidth.
The median consumption among European subscribers to fixed-access networks is 14.7 GB, while the real winner in terms of peak-period traffic is real-time entertainment. Services like Spotify and BBC iPlayer are driving the popularity of real-time entertainment streaming in Europe and specifically in the UK.
European consumers are embracing on-demand entertainment streaming, which is expected to continue to increase in popularity, resulting in a drop in P2P file sharing and regular web browsing. As these trends inevitably move into the business sector, companies are advised to ensure that they employ the services of a dedicated network services provider.
