Explosive Surges in Online Traffic Will Slow Down the Internet

Breaking the Internet – Streaming Platforms Reduce Video Quality and Download Speed to Counteract High Online Traffic

Amidst the on-going online traffic taking place as the coronavirus pandemic forces people to stay indoors, many streaming platforms including Netflix and YouTube will be reducing video quality in Europe and soon will be doing the same globally.

As self-quarantines around the world have made people more reliant on the internet to work, learn, communicate, stay connected and entertained the usage of platforms like YouTube and Netflix have surged to new highs. Policy makers have pushed these streaming companies to reduce the size of their video files so as to not take up much bandwidth, forcing platforms such as YouTube to reduce video quality from ‘high’ to ‘standard’ across the globe.

In the coming days, due to the unprecedented consumer demand and increased internet congestion regulators will be monitoring internet traffic and take necessary steps to ensure Internet service providers can sustain this large online activity without decreasing the value of the service provided.