Cisco Visual Networking Index Study Finds Today’s Average Global Broadband
Connection Generates 11.4 Gigabytes of Internet Traffic per Month
Overview
- Today Cisco announced new findings from the Cisco Visual
Networking
Index (VNI)
Usage research effort that confirms service provider networks are carrying a
significant amount of visual
networking traffic, with more than one-third of the average global broadband
connection supporting video, social networking and collaboration applications
each month. - This new Cisco VNI Usage study provides quantitative insights into current
activity on service provider networks during the third quarter of calendar year
2009. The research effort is a cooperative program between Cisco and a group of
more than 20 service providers worldwide who share their anonymous, aggregated
network usage data to help them analyze network usage trends, anticipate
infrastructure changes, and develop future architectural guidelines. - Participating service providers are serving millions of residential
subscribers from around the world and represent the mobile, wireline, and cable
segments throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and
various emerging markets. - This new study, focused on actual network traffic, complements the Cisco
VNI Forecast and Methodology, 2008-2013, which offers projections for future
network growth. Updates to the usage data are planned for the future as a means
to measure changes in overall traffic patterns.
Cisco VNI Usage Highlights
Aggregate Broadband Findings (Q3CY09):
- Globally, the average broadband connection (primarily residential
subscribers and some business users) generates approximately 11.4 gigabytes of
Internet traffic per month.- Per connection per day, this amount is roughly equivalent to downloading
3,000 text emails, 100 MP3 music files or 360 text-only e-books.
- Per connection per day, this amount is roughly equivalent to downloading
- Globally, the average broadband connection consumes about 4.3 gigabytes
visual networking applications (advanced services such as video, social
networking and collaboration) traffic per month.- Per connection per day, this amount is roughly the equivalent of
approximately 20.5 short- form Internet videos or approximately 1.1 hours of
Internet video, whether streamed on its own, embedded in a Web page, or viewed
as part of video communications.
- Per connection per day, this amount is roughly the equivalent of
- Top 1 percent of global subscribers generated more than 20 percent of all
traffic. - Top 10 percent of global subscribers generated more than 60 percent of all
traffic.
Peak Broadband Usage During Internet Prime Time:
- In an average day over the reported quarter, Internet "prime time" spans
from approximately 9 p.m to 1 a.m. around the world. This contrasts with
broadcast TV prime time, which is generally from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. across most
global markets. - 25 percent (or 93.3 megabytes per day per connection) of global Internet
traffic is generated during the Internet "prime time" period. - A peak Internet hour has 20 percent more traffic than a nonpeak Internet
hour. The peak Internet hour averages 18 megabytes of traffic per connection
(per hour), while nonpeak Internet hours average 15 megabytes of traffic per
connection (per hour).- The peak Internet visual networking hour has almost 25 percent more traffic
than average hourly Internet traffic.
- The peak Internet visual networking hour has almost 25 percent more traffic
