Mobile traffic grows due to quarantine and calls for responsible use of data

The initiation of isolation to prevent coronavirus is causing increased consumption of mobile data, but not of fixed traffic. Telecommunications operators are opening the umbrella against what could be an exponential increase in the traffic load on this mobile infrastructure. Telecom, for example, experienced on Monday, the first day of the social quarantine, a 7% increase in mobile consumption compared to monthly average levels.

It is the reason why, based on these data, the first messages aimed at generating responsible consumption of data have already started to circulate.

In fact, this situation already has its antecedent in the countries of Europe where, beyond the good intentions of the companies to facilitate bandwidth to the users so that they stay communicated and avoid being on the street, the networks also run the risk of collapse.

The data attracted attention because the values ​​of mobile and fixed network traffic in these first days were similar to those of a weekend, with a variation of approximately 7% in relation to similar periods.

When evaluating the impact of the use of networks through the various applications, especially those oriented towards the home office or messaging, the use of WhatsApp increased 62%, according to Telecom data.

The remote meeting tools, essential for teleworking, translated, in turn, into a greater consumption of video conferencing applications, which grew by 110%. Remote traffic experienced the same situation and the use of virtual private networks increased by 31% only in the first two days of protection in the home.

Just as the use of applications to exercise the home office or follow classes online increases, so did the consumption of leisure and entertainment.

“The suspension of classes produced changes in the consumption of gaming, which grew 100% compared to a normal day. The consumption of occasional games on consoles grew by 144%,” the company detailed. In the latter case, that greater increase in consumption was related to games that are the most popular such as League of Legends or Fortnite.

Consumption of series and movies via streaming also experienced exponential growth, around 20%, reaching the same levels as a weekend.

These increases in mobile traffic consumption were, at least in these first two days, much more significant than those related to traffic from fixed broadband networks. According to data from the Argentine Chamber of Internet Companies (CABASE), the traffic on the first day of social isolation was similar to that of February, when the boys were on vacation. From this camera they consider that fixed networks have the capacity to withstand higher demand and rule out that bottlenecks could occur.

But the situation is not the same at the level of mobile broadband networks. Due to the increase in traffic in the networks and in the various services from Telecom, they pointed out that although the decentralization of data consumption, as a result of greater home office practice, may allow better distribution and performance of the networks, it is necessary to be responsible.

“To guarantee the quality of service and connectivity during the period of the quarantine stipulated by the authorities ????????, it is necessary that our clients make responsible and intelligent use of their services and their consumption “, detailed from the company.

For this reason, the operator recommended:

-Optimize internet use for connection priorities: mail, home office, online conferences, work, school and access to information applications.

-Download only those files or contents that are needed for work at home and for the entertainment of the youngest.

-Organize downloads of leisure and entertainment content (such as video games or movies) in the hours of least data traffic (at night or early morning)

-Avoid sending heavy files and prioritize the use of shared storage tools with commonly used links or applications that allow collaborative online work. If you need to send them, compress them, compress them previously or adapt them to a format that weighs as little as possible.

-In case of maintaining extensive voice communications, prioritize using the landline phone (if this service were available).

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