Sandvine has released its annual study of global internet traffic [
pdf, 535KB].
They have found a shift in consumer behavior towards real-time applications, away from bulk “experience later” traffic. Real-time entertainment traffic (such as streaming media, Flash video, etc.) accounts for more than a quarter of all traffic in 2009, doubling its proportion from 2008. This demonstrably highlights the rapidly shifting nature of internet traffic, especially since network volumes have also continued to grow.
Adding to the challenges for network operators, the Sandvine research found that the top one percent of subscribers account for 25 percent of total traffic. However, the top users during a given peak hour are largely distinct from the peak users of the preceding month.
Among other findings, a more broad-based adoption of applications is driving peak utilization. According to Sandvine, peak-time total usage was only slightly influenced by the top users, suggesting that usage management and network congestion management are distinct objectives.
Sandvine’s 10 page executive summary is a very readable source of interesting statistical data and analysis about the state of internet traffic. Plenty of interesting observations; plenty of fascinating implications for networks and policy makers.