Over on our blog, we are also tracking how people are using Wi-Fi to keep connected in their communities. Check there and follow us on Twitter for regular updates. (Please note: included below are links in reference to the dates the data was released.)
Networks across the country passed the stress test amidst the pandemic.
– In early April 2021, the Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group (BITAG) released a report regarding network resiliency amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As work and school shifted remotely for many Americans, some networks saw an increase of 300% in video conferencing services from February to October 2020. Additionally, ISPs saw a growth of internet traffic by 40% during peak business hours. Still, amidst this steep increase in online traffic, the study found that the “Internet proved resilient and reliable.”
Wi-Fi became essential for telehealth and for efforts to end the pandemic.
–Per a study from HSS in July 2020, telehealth visits saw a “meteoric rise” as millions of Americans preferred to visit healthcare providers virtually amidst the continued impact of COVID-19 pandemic. Wi-Fi has also been a key component for working towards ending the pandemic by helping to get needles into arms, allowing Americans to administer COVID “‘self-tests” at home.
Amidst the ongoing pandemic, communities across the nation worked together to close the digital divide by providing Wi-Fi services.
– From buses that are equipped with high-speed broadband (also known as “Wi-Fi on Wheels”) to public libraries that provide free Wi-Fi hotspots to those in need, communities across America have stepped up amidst the pandemic to provide services to those individuals and families who need it most.
The economic value of Wi-Fi increased during the pandemic.
– In February 2021, the Wi-Fi Alliance released a study that took a look at the global economic impact of Wi-Fi and provided a forecast of what that economic impact will look like between 2021 and 2025. The study estimates that the economic impact of Wi-Fi in the U.S. is expected to reach $4.9 trillion by 2025, representing a 150% increase from the last estimate in 2018.
Wi-Fi usage has boomed during the pandemic and is recognized as an essential service.
– This Wi-Fi Alliance study titled “COVID-19 and the Economic Value of Wi-Fi” found that at the beginning of the pandemic, global Wi-Fi traffic increased by 80% and there was a 70% to 94% increase in Wi-Fi use between 9 AM to 5 PM.
Updated May 29, 2020
Even as a number of states begin to reopen, Wi-Fi is still being used at record rates.
– AT&T reported Wi-Fi calling minutes increased 53% year-over-year over the Memorial Day holiday. VoLTE calling minutes were up 27% on Monday versus last year’s holiday.
Update for May 15, 2020
As many Americans continue to work and learn remotely, it is Wi-Fi, not LTE that’s largely keeping people connected.
– New York Public Library buildings are closed, but patrons are accessing the Internet from outside. The libraries have seen more than 20,000 Wi-Fi sessions at locations throughout the city since stay-at-home orders took effect in March. The library also had 1,200 Wi-Fi hotspots checked out to families with school-aged children that lacked home internet when they closed their buildings.
– In Ohio, Jon Husted, the lieutenant governor, has directed people to connect to hundreds of nonprofits, libraries and schools across the state. School leaders in Philadelphia and Sacramento have encouraged families to use free hotspots in library and school parking lots.
Update for May 5, 2020
Network studies and ISPs align – broadband usage is way up, and Americans are largely using Wi-Fi to connect.
– Fortune reports that Internet traffic is skyrocketing, with a surge in bandwidth-intensive applications like streaming services and Zoom. This may mean that monthly broadband consumption is as much as 600 gigabytes.
– Internet service providers continue to note significant web traffic increases. According to Andrew Dugan, the chief technology officer at CenturyLink, the company has seen “a 35% increase in Internet traffic – ultimately the networks have handled it quite well.”
– Comcast also reports a 33% increase in upstream traffic and a 40% increase in wireless data usage over Wi-Fi since early March.
– An OECD study on internet traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that traffic through Internet exchange points has increased by up to 60 percent in OECD countries. This is due to the majority of people working and studying from home, streaming films and video games, and making video calls from home. The study found that the United States alone saw a 52% increase of virtual private network traffic.
Update for April 22, 2020
According to new network updates, Wi-Fi usage continues to soar.
– Comcast reports a 19% decline in mobile LTE data usage over Xfinity Mobile. The company also saw a 49% increase in mobile data usage over Wi-Fi (as of April 15th).
We are talking more — supported by Wi-Fi.
– According to NCTA—The Internet & Television Association, members reported that their networks are supporting growth in Wi-Fi usage, particularly in Wi-Fi calling. Plume also continues to report a drastic average increase in home Internet usage with traffic surging to roughly +100% normal usage throughout U.S. metro areas.
Update for April 13, 2020
Millions of Americans are now working from home and internet usage is skyrocketing.
– According to Plume, an average of 46.2 million Americans, (a 105% increase) are now working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has seen computer broadband usage more than double. All markets saw Wi-Fi usage jump since the national emergency was declared. The areas with the greatest increase were the San Francisco Bay area (133%) and Seattle (126%).
– Cable companies reported a 19% increase in peak downstream traffic since March 1, according to data compiled by NCTA. Charter, for instance, notes that more than 90% of devices on its network connect via Wi-Fi. “In many households, daytime internet traffic has doubled, even tripled from pre-pandemic levels,” Charter’s chief technology officer Stephanie Mitchko-Beale said. The company’s network supports more than 300 million IP devices, and about 80% of the wireless data consumed on its customers’ mobile devices arrive via Wi-Fi.
WISPs are working hard to keep rural communities connected during times of increased internet traffic.
– Wireless internet service providers (WISPs) are seeing a 36% increase in average traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a WISP member survey conducted by the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA). 83% of WISPS have connected more subscribers since the beginning of the public health emergency in the U.S.
As millions of students transition to remote learning, libraries have added additional free Wi-Fi capacity for families who lack broadband access.
– While 81% of libraries in the United States already kept their Wi-Fi routers on during building closures, an additional 12% nationwide expanded this service in response to COVID-19. 8% of libraries also relocated their Wi-Fi access points to improve connectivity outside their buildings in the face of the pandemic.
Update for April 2, 2020
Wi-Fi traffic and Wi-Fi connected devices are increasing.
– Globally, total Wi-Fi upload traffic has increased by 80% since enforced stay-at-home policies began for most countries in early March. While our networks are working hard, Wi-Fi is certainly doing its part to keep us connected.
– The number of Wi-Fi connected devices in the home in the US is up between 52% to more than 90% depending on the city. The highest surge in device connections is in the Seattle area, where the increase in connected devices is 90.2%, in the San Francisco Bay Area that number is up to 85.3% and in Philadelphia the number is 73.4%.
What are we connecting and how much more data are we sending?
– Nokia is reporting unprecedented growth in worldwide internet traffic generally, and specifically a 300% growth in teleconferencing apps in the US (e.g., Zoom, Skype) and a 400% growth in online gaming. With almost all schools closed, kids screen time — from watching online lessons, to streaming videos and playing games — is up by 50%. It’s probably not just kids, online gaming and heavy video streaming seem to be the primary drivers of traffic across the board. In our homes, these activities happen almost entirely over Wi-Fi because we no longer plug devices into our routers.
– We’re also increasingly connecting our cellular devices to Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi calling volumes are up exponentially and provider data shows most subscribers’ phones are at home using Wi-Fi to connect, not out making cellular calls. One wired network provider reported seeing a 24% rise in mobile data going over Wi-Fi. This is not surprising because Wi-Fi is always a complement to cellular networks as it functions better indoors where cellular signals cannot reach.
What does all of this mean for Wi-Fi networks?
– With higher volumes of data traffic on Wi-Fi networks, analytics companies are reporting higher levels of interference on the most heavily used Wi-Fi band — 5 GHz — and more complaints from users about the quality of uplink connections. For more tips on how to boost your Wi-Fi performance right now, check out this video and our blog on the topic.
Wi-Fi networks are bearing most of the load associated with increasing data traffic.
– In other countries where COVID19 hit earlier than the US, there has been a distinct fall-off in cellular activity. And here in the US, providers are not reporting spikes in cellular activity as other traffic increases.
We’ll be updating this list as more data is out.