Home Traffic From Streaming Web Video Expected to Grow by at Least 1300%

Traffic From Streaming Web Video Expected to Grow by at Least 1300%

That streaming videos makes up a huge percentage of the Internet’s traffic is by now well-known. Netflix alone makes up nearly 30% of all downstream traffic and we’re now accustomed to hearing about the extraordinary amount of bandwidth eaten up by videos streaming during major news events.

For example, during President Obama’s inauguration, content delivery network Akamai delivered 7 million simultaneous streams of video, with traffic surpassing two terabytes per second (Tbps), which broke records. The next year, Akamai’s network traffic peaked at about 3.45 Tbps.

If you think we’re eating up a lot of bandwidth streaming video now, just wait. That 3.45 Tbps figure from last year will be blown out of the water within five years, according to a detailed report put together by Akamai, Harvard University and University of Massachusetts. The researchers suggest that “it is reasonable to expect that throughput requirements for some single video events will reach roughly 50 to 100 Tbps” within two to five years. The low end of that estimate represents an increase of about 1349% from 2010’s peak, at least as far as Akamai’s CDN is concerned.

This growth is not guaranteed to be smooth, either.

“Because of the limited capacity at the Internet’s various bottlenecks, even an extremely well-provisioned and well-connected data center can only expect to have no more than a few hundred Gbps of real throughput to end users,” the report reads. “This means that a CDN or other network with even 50 well-provisioned, highly connected data centers still falls well short of achieving the 100 Tbps needed to support video’s near-term growth.”

Not surprisingly, the paper’s touts Akamai’s technology as a potential solution to any issues this may present. The report, a PDF of which can be viewed here, is rich in technical detail about how Akamai, content delivery and the Internet in general work and makes for a pretty interesting read over all.

via New TeeVee. Photo courtesy of Flickr user Design By Zouny

About ReadWrite’s Editorial Process

The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Get the biggest tech headlines of the day delivered to your inbox

    By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe anytime.

    Tech News

    Explore the latest in tech with our Tech News. We cut through the noise for concise, relevant updates, keeping you informed about the rapidly evolving tech landscape with curated content that separates signal from noise.

    In-Depth Tech Stories

    Explore tech impact in In-Depth Stories. Narrative data journalism offers comprehensive analyses, revealing stories behind data. Understand industry trends for a deeper perspective on tech's intricate relationships with society.

    Expert Reviews

    Empower decisions with Expert Reviews, merging industry expertise and insightful analysis. Delve into tech intricacies, get the best deals, and stay ahead with our trustworthy guide to navigating the ever-changing tech market.