Abnormal Traffic Conditions as a result of COVID-19
With schools and business offices closing, there has been a dramatic change in the nature of daytime Internet usage in mobile and fixed broadband networks. Activities that would have typically taken place face-to-face or on networks in the schools, universities and offices, have now moved online and to the home.
Many service providers are therefore already seeing a dramatic shift in traffic patterns as home-based subscriber connectivity reaches unprecedented levels due to video conferencing demand, along with Netflix, YouTube and gaming usage, remote access to corporate networks, and cloud storage and file sharing. Home subscriber traffic levels have increased during the daytime where in the past was mainly peaking at night-time.
Instant messaging
The Instant Messaging trend post COVID-19 is reflected below in BLUE, showing an increase throughout the day, commencing at 6am and then only decreasing again in the early hours of the morning.
streaming protocols
The Streaming Protocol trend post COVID-19 is reflected below in BLUE, showing an increase throughout the day, commencing at 7am and, although showing a slight decrease at around 18:00, only decreasing at around 04:00.
Web browsing
The Web Browsing trend post COVID-19 is reflected below in BLUE, showing an increase throughout the day, commencing at 6am and then decreasing slightly between 18:00 and 22:00, before increasing again.
Peer to Peer
The Peer-to-Peer trend post COVID-19 is reflected below in BLUE, showing an increase throughout the day, with a decrease to pre-COVID-19 usage levels between 20:00 and 21:00, before stepping up again.
Online Games
The Online Games trend post COVID-19 is reflected below in BLUE, showing a consistent increase throughout the day and night.
Remote Connectivity
The Remote Connectivity trend post COVID-19 is reflected below in BLUE, showing an increase throughout the day, commencing at 6am and then gradually decreasing towards midnight, after which there there is no significant change until 06:00.
Web Video
The Web Video trend post COVID-19 is reflected below in BLUE, showing a slight increase commencing at 7am and then returning to pre-COVID-19 usage at 17:00. Interestingly, there is a decrease in post-COVID-19 usage between 04:00 and 07:00.
As a result of the dramatic shifts in these trends, Core2Africa has had a number of requests from our service provider customers to assist with bandwidth optimisation resulting from the abnormal data traffic conditions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Core2Africa Services to assist with Bandwidth Optimisation include:
Analyse Network Traffic
- Analyse Traffic Data – using Opensource environment or using commercial tools (Netflow, SNMP, telemetry, downloads, connections, DNS traffic)
Local/Local vs. Local/International - Commercial Traffic Analysis Tools – implement if needed
Traffic Optimisation Recommendations
- Traffic Shaper/Policer – policy definition and enforcement
- Traffic manipulation – links, peering, local caches, etc
Network Security
- Assess DDoS mitigation measures in place at the network perimeter
- Analyse security measures for protecting data on corporate networks
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