Videos may make up 84 percent of internet traffic by 2018
Videos may make up 84 percent of internet traffic by
2018: Cisco
Reuters By By Marina Lopes
June 10, 2014 8:10 AM
By Marina Lopes
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Video consumption of the World Cup
alone will generate nearly as much Internet traffic as occurred in all of
Australia in 2013, according to a new Cisco Systems Inc report that shows
growth in Internet traffic is fueled by video.
The report, which says video is expected to grow to 84
percent of Internet traffic in the United States by 2018 from 78 percent
currently, raises questions about whether Internet service providers should
prioritize traffic, which has become a controversial issue.
"In the future at some point every month is going to
look like the world cup month because the consumption just keeps getting bigger
and bigger," said Robert Pepper, Cisco's vice president of global
technology policy.
Cisco, one of the leading makers of networking equipment,
studies the use and speed of devices, connections and data for an annual
forecast of Internet traffic growth.
The report, released on Tuesday, comes as the Federal
Communications Commission debates legislation on Internet traffic, or "net
neutrality," that could allow telecommunications companies the right to
prioritize some traffic.
Critics of the proposed revisions worry the rules would
create "fast lanes" for companies that pay up and slower traffic for
others.
Not all Internet traffic will be the same, according to
the report. Internet connected medical devices, for example, would have a
different data profile than video streaming, but a higher speed urgency.
The report forecasts that, by 2018, online connected
machines will take over televisions as the fastest growing connected devices,
making up over 46 percent of Internet traffic, from the current 25 percent.
"A world in which we want networks to treat all
traffic the same will inhibit these connections," Jeff Campbell, Cisco's
vice president of government and community relations told Reuters.
"As the FCC looks at rewriting its net neutrality
rules, it is important that we allow for things like managed services and
specialized services that can provide new applications for consumers,"
Campbell added.
(Reporting By Marina Lopes. Editing by Andre Grenon)
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