Thursday, April 12, 2012

On rural Internet, downstream data is mainly video

Rural Internet traffic is dominated by video streaming, according to a report on research conducted by Calix Inc., a communications equipment supplier. Video streaming, which uses vast amounts of data, accounted for 67 percent of all downstream data, that coming into rural computers. Netflix and YouTube accounted for 80 percent of all streamed video.

In terms of information coming from rural computers, or upstream data, business traffic accounted for 53 percent, according to a Calix press release. The firm analyzed actual Internet traffic from 45 providers in the last quarter of 2011.

Types of Internet use varied by region, with people in the West streaming the most video. People in the Southeast played the most online video games, those in the Northeast online-shopped the most, and Midwesterners used business-oriented services most. The release says it's not surprising video streaming dominates traffic because providers are preparing for "an all-video world." The company plans to continue generating rural broadband usage reports. (Read more)

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