The current pandemic has raised a question in the minds of some users. They wonder if Internet overuse can cause the Internet to crash. No, it can’t happen! In this article, we will try to answer some questions that you may have in mind.
If we were to compile a list of potential apocalyptic scenarios on the Internet, the coronavirus epidemic is likely to be on these lists – and for obvious reasons. In the past few days we have seen a sudden increase in the number of people who want to know if coronavirus is going to break the Internet?
During the epidemic, people are forced to work from home, and lockouts and the constraint of staying indoors increase the demand for bandwidth – whether for work, play games or watch video ! The Internet has become the primary, if not the only, source of entertainment for most.
Can overuse destroy the entire Internet?
The answer to this question is – NO! If an online service or website is overloaded with traffic, that website or online service may crash, but the Internet may not. Overuse cannot destroy the entire Internet. When bandwidth consumption increases exponentially, from a supply and demand perspective, speed can decrease. The more users there are online, the slower the speed you will normally get.
To better understand this, we must first understand how the Internet works.
How does the Internet work?
The Internet does not depend on a single computer or a cable. It is a combination of several independent networks and computers. All of the computers that connect and the cables together can be considered the Internet, and therefore for the Internet to go down, all computers should crash and the connection cables cut. The Internet is too large and decentralized to suddenly fail. It’s almost impossible!
These networks are largely governed, controlled and maintained by individuals, businesses and governments. If part of the network stops working for any reason, users will still be able to access the Internet.
At a time when the majority of people work remotely from their home, a significant portion of people would have already stopped accessing the Internet from their office. It helps ISPs manage the supply and demand chain. That’s why big tech companies and Internet service providers are confident that no pandemic or similar event will ever wipe out the Internet and that the network has plenty of capacity to accommodate everyone.
Is there absolutely no problem?
The lack of network capacity is not really a problem to start with. The fact that a large number of users using the Internet in large numbers induces a slowdown in performance. Mobile Internet services are often the most affected, unlike those with fixed broadband. The reason is a sudden rush of people on the mobile Internet.
The Internet often experiences crashes in difficult times and events such as major power outages where multiple networks and computers are out of service at the same time.
Macroeconomic events such as earthquakes, damage to submarine or earth cables, damage to space satellites, significant solar activity, major power outages, nuclear war, targeted cyber warfare, etc., could cause theoretically the crash of sections of the Internet. But that will not close the Internet!
In 2007, Asia experienced a series of earthquakes which damaged submarine cables, further causing major Internet-related problems in some parts of the world. However, the rest of the world continued to access the Internet.
Governments can take action
To cope with the ever increasing demand, in the current pandemic, the European Commission has asked OTT streaming services such as Netflix and YouTube to reduce the demand for their systems on European web networks. The goal is simple. OTT and Internet streaming companies must ensure that their services remain uninterrupted during the lockout state.
Internet speed test company Ookla says downloading mobile broadband speeds have decreased significantly in many Asian countries since the pandemic. Meanwhile, fixed broadband Internet services have not been very successful.
As more and more users connect, these companies must be able to bear the additional burden. Large tech companies cannot afford to deal with a blackout at the moment, since most large companies face a shortage of office workers.
The essential
According to reports, Internet use has almost doubled in many parts of the world since the pandemic. In difficult situations where everything around us is stalled, more aspects of our daily lives naturally take the digital route. In fact, remote work platforms like Microsoft teams and Zoom continue to witness increased demand.
In the case of India, an ISP told us that consumption could increase by 80% in a situation where everyone stays at home. In addition, the majority (90% +) of users access the Internet between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. (STI)! Many customers are also upgrading their existing broadband plans which often extend bandwidth to a great extent.
However, in such a scenario, most network service providers (NSPs) increase the overall bandwidth, which helps ISPs to handle the additional load.
Meanwhile, millions of people around the world now connect to the Internet from the comfort of their kitchen, living room and home office every day. As a result, the demand for uninterrupted Internet service continues to soar.
Be a responsible Internet user and do not create or share digital junk files! Always make sure to keep a safe distance from scams, fraud and cybersecurity threats related to COVID-19 coronavirus.