Is Your Internet Slow? Blame Corona!
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in countries being locked down, healthcare systems being under immense stress, and people everywhere having to adjust to social isolation.
However, one of the greatest worries has recently been made obvious: the internet is slowing down.
The information age is now experiencing increased demand as millions of people across the world lock themselves at home and turn to the internet as a means of distraction, resulting in internet speeds dropping.
The plummet in bandwidth was first noticed in the Hubei province of China during the initial phase of the outbreak.
Broadband speeds saw a drop of nearly 50%, due to the surge in streaming, online gaming, phone calls and video conferences as people were forced to work from home.
Similar trends are being reported in other countries such as the United Kingdom and other European countries as nations initiate lockdowns to halt the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, online video-sharing websites such as Netflix and YouTube have seen higher levels of user traffic in recent weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
