With an estimated one-third of the world’s population going online, it is no surprise that bandwidth demand is growing faster than it can be delivered. Data reviewed by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) over the past few years indicates that bandwidth demand is growing faster than our capacity to deliver it (John Brodkin, 2012).
In addition to the millions of users worldwide, new devices are also being used to access the internet, such as mobile phones and tablets. On top of the increased amount of users and devices accessing the Internet is the number of online applications available, such as games and social media.
The most notable application is video. Peer-to-peer video file sharing accounted for a majority of the Internet traffic in 2010. However, it is important to recognize that it is not strictly consumers who are using video applications; it’s businesses as well. Video conferencing is proving to be a useful tool for companies looking to communicate in real time with customers or employees who are not within proximity.
The cost of utilizing video conferencing is also minimal when compared to travel expenses, making it an attractive option for many businesses. However, it requires an adequate supply of bandwidth in order to operate effectively.
Concerns about the continued increase of users, devices and applications are so prevalent that it has driven some technology based companies, such as Cisco, to examine ways to combat it. According to a study done by Cisco, global IP traffic increased eightfold over the five years leading up to 2010 and will quadruple by 2015 (John Brodkin, 2012).
As a result, multiple organizations, including Cisco, are at work on the next generation of Internet and networking technologies. This includes advances in software-defined networking and advances in infrastructure. The question, of course, is whether or not these innovations can keep up with the growing bandwidth demand. Currently, a variety of network technologies are staying ahead of the requirements and delivering enough bandwidth to sustain the demand. Businesses can also minimize the number of users competing for bandwidth by obtaining their Internet from a business only provider.
To read the article written by John Brodkin, click here.
Blog Author: Vanessa Hartung
