Skip to main content

Netflix now the largest source of Internet traffic in US

netflix-logoNetflix streaming video accounts for more peak-hour Internet traffic going into homes in the US and Canada than any other source, according to a study published Tuesday by Sandvine Inc. The streaming video now accounts for nearly 30 percent of all peak downstream traffic, a jump from last year’s count of 21 percent, reports TechCrunch.

Only about one quarter of homes with a broadband Internet connection subscribe to Netflix, but those users still use more data by watching movies and television shows all Internet users in North America do by browsing the Web, using email and all social networks.

Recommended Videos

Other video services account for only a fraction of Netflix’s downstream traffic. YouTube, which was once the highest traffic sender, is now responsible for only 11 percent of peak downstream traffic; Hulu, only 1 percent.

The only single activity that come close to Netflix’s data usage is peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, which accounts for about 11 percent of peak downstream traffic. Last year, both Web surfing and P2P file transfers each accounted for more traffic than Netflix.

sandvine-bandwidth-chart
Much of this is due to the rapid growth of Netflix, which hit 23.6 million subscribers in the US as of the end of March. Netflix’s streaming-only service, which is available for about $8 per month, has now overtaken the company’s original business staple of mail-order DVD rentals as its primary focus.

News of Netflix’s broadband usage is sure to further flare debate about usage-based pricing by Internet service providers, a system which has already begun to spread in the US.

In May, AT&T will implement a 150GB per month data cap on all landline DSL users. And U-Verse broadband customers will be limited to 250GB. Customers will be charged $10 for every 50GB used beyond the ceiling. Comcast also has a 250GB cap for its broadband customers.

To put that in perspective: A single Nexflix movie, streaming in high-definition, reportedly uses about 3,600MB; a standard-def movie is around 500 to 700MB. This means that, with the 250GB data cap, users could stream roughly 40 HD movies per month — as long as they use their Internet connection for nothing else, of course.

Andrew Couts
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
Watch these AI humanoid robots play soccer like Mbappé … sort of
Humanoid robots playing soccer.

Watching these humanoid robots battle it out on the soccer field, you quickly realize that Kylian Mbappé and his fellow professionals really have little to worry about. At least, for now.

The footage (top) was captured last week in Beijing at the RoBoLeague World Robot Soccer League, China's first-ever three-on-three humanoid robot soccer league.

Read more
The robot takeover comes another step closer — at Amazon
An Amazon robot working inside one of the company's warehouses.

Amazon is close to having more robots operating inside its warehouses than humans after the e-commerce giant announced this week that it now has more than a million robots working at its facilities around the world.

Over the years, Amazon has spent billions of dollars on the development and deployment of warehouse-based robots, which handle an array of tasks once performed by human workers.

Read more
This Lenovo ThinkPad laptop is over $1,400 off — hurry while stocks last!
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 Intel laptop on a white background.

Now's an excellent time to take advantage of laptop deals from Lenovo, which has slashed the prices of a wide range of devices for its Black Friday in July sale. Lenovo's ThinkPad laptops are up to 45% off, and here's one of the most interesting offers available with such a discount — the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 at $1,440 off its estimated value of $3,199, so you'll only have to pay $1,759. That's an excellent price for this fantastic productivity tool, but you're going to have to push forward with your purchase as soon as possible because stocks may run out at any moment.

BUY NOW

Read more