With numerous employees logging into work from home mode since the 2020 pandemic, telecom players and internet service providers have been witnessing a major spike in demand for unlimited high speed internet for usage at home.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant migration has been witnessed; people have moved their work from their offices to their homes. Similarly, students are no longer in school, and have been spending most of their time at home and likely online.
Have the internet providers been able to accommodate this shift? And do we have the kind of policies we need to make this secure?
Let us dig deep into the above and other aspects in this article.
Dramatic Change in Internet Consumption Patterns Witnessed in March 2020
By late March 2020, over 200 countries in the world were affected by the Coronavirus pandemic and thus countries were under lockdowns, shutting down activities that required human gathering and interactions- including schools, malls, offices, airports, and railway stations. The lockdown had resulted in most people opting for internet-based services to communicate, and interact for continuing with their job responsibilities from home. Internet service providers witnessed a drastic change in internet consumption levels and also a rise in demand for unlimited high speed internet.
Increase in Digitalization Amidst the Pandemic
The world witnessed an increase in digitalization due to the pandemic, and thus led to companies and educational institutions shift to function remotely.
Work from Home could Continue Beyond the Pandemic
As the use of video audio-conferencing tools has increased significantly, organizations have been ramping up their technology infrastructure to account for the surge. This has led to increased investment in bandwidth expansion, network equipment, and software that leverages unlimited high speed internet services. With employees becoming accustomed to the idea of working-from-home or working remotely, and transacting online, firms could shift to remote working as a norm rather than as an exception.
Increase in OTT Platform Streaming
In 2020, due to the lockdown scenario, people had no choice but to spend time and entertain themselves at home. And thus online platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime and other platforms started being used by people for their entertainment. And since then, new shows and programs are being released more and more on these OTT platforms, thus increasing the demand for unlimited high speed internet by users.
Rise in Game Downloads
The younger generation have been addicted to online games since 2020 due to the shutdown of schools and educational institutes. For this generation, outdoor activities had been completely curbed and thus this has led to an increase in game downloads for their entertainment which need high speed internet.
Introduction of Online Education
As mentioned earlier, the lockdown also included complete shutdown of educational institutes. However, the education couldn’t be stopped or held for a long period of time and thus online lectures, online coaching classes were initiated. And since then the need for uninterrupted data was essential for smooth attendance of online classes.
As a result, all these changes and factors have demanded unlimited high speed internet and thus the majority of internet providers have suspended restrictions on how much bandwidth consumers can use, making their connections effectively unlimited.
Remote Work has Made Cyber Security Vital
As organizations have been functioning remotely, cybersecurity has become a great concern now in 2021. A real concern is identifying and knowing how the data is being accessed and how to secure it effectively. Organizations need to plan more strategically about cybersecurity investments and how to best protect workers, their data and even their devices or equipment. Securing a remote workforce requires a different outlook as this kind of work system is prone to attacks.
In 2020 there was also a concern regarding video conferencing and collaboration tools such as Zoom which did not provide transparency reports, that could help users (especially organizations) understand when and where their information would be disclosed.
Furthermore, employers generally do not provide the right to privacy to their employees, while at work or while using internet networks. However, the scenario has changed as the employees have been using their own devices and network remotely. All these aspects have made the organizations and the users to consider cyber security as one of the priorities in this remote working culture.
When it comes to internet access, this pandemic has not only shown that connectivity is an essential service, crucial to our social and economic infrastructure; but also that fibre optic connectivity is one of the long-term solutions, moving forward even after the pandemic.
Coextro Offers Unlimited High Speed Internet
Out of several internet service providers in Canada, Coextro is one of the best fibre-optic based internet providers in Ontario offering consumers with high quality internet and phone services at affordable prices, focusing on customer experience and satisfaction.
Here’s why Coextro is the one of the most preferred internet providers in Ontario:
- We offer great value for money with our multiple affordable internet plans.
- Having our own technicians, we provide quick, easy and hassle-free in-home installations for fibre services.
- We strive to consistently provide the highest quality internet focusing on market neutrality, and customer needs.
A survey revealed that many organizations have planned to permanently shift employees to remote work even after the Covid-19 crisis ends. As expected, Big Tech companies like Twitter have told employees that they could work from home indefinitely.
Hence the demand for unlimited high speed internet is going to be consistent or rather see a spike again in this evolving digital world.
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