Podcast: Nick Feamster on how the pandemic highlighted our biggest network needs

Nick Feamster, Neubauer Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago, returns to the podcast to provide an update on his research into how COVID-19 has impacted Internet traffic demands in the US. He also discusses the impact the pandemic has had on Internet performance and how service providers are responding to these changes.

By analyzing interconnection data for two large ISPs in the US, Feamster and his colleagues identified a 30-60% increase in peak traffic rates in Q1 of 2020. In addition, their research data revealed a significant shift in traffic volume at the onset of the pandemic. Despite an influx of remote workers relying more heavily on home networks, the Internet has held up strong against capacity demands.

"I'm happy to report that the Internet, technically speaking, has done pretty well over the course of the pandemic," says Feamster.

In regard to progress made during the pandemic concerning the digital divide, Feamster says some improvements have been made with subsidy programs, but "many communities and cities have the clairvoyance to recognize this isn't a long-term solution, necessarily, and it's been good as a stop-gap in some cases ... there are a number of places where the subsidy only needs to be part of the solution."

For more information on Feamster's research and to listen to his previous guest appearances on the Light Reading podcast, take a look at the related posts below.

Related posts:

• Characterizing Service Provider Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States (Source: Nick Feamster)
• 2020 Pandemic Network Performance (Source: Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group)
• Podcast: COVID-19 challenges online learning, network performance
• Podcast: University of Chicago's Nick Feamster on staying connected in a pandemic
• Podcast: Prof. Nick Feamster Explains Machine Learning for Telcos

You can find all of Light Reading's editorial and custom audio programs on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud or Spotify.

— Kelsey Kusterer Ziser, Senior Editor, Light Reading