• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Resources
  • Podcasts
  • Project of the Week
  • About Us
    SEARCH
IT Infrastructure, Mobility, News

Internet Usage Spikes Amid COVID-19 Lockdown, but Should Hold

While internet usage grows as a result of COVID-19 quarantines, working hours lengthen, and U.S. infrastructure should be able to get the job done.

March 23, 2020 Jonathan Blackwood Leave a Comment

NETSCOUT nGeniusEDGE Server

COVID-19 lockdowns are in full swing, and as a result a number of companies and states are encouraging or outright mandating that employees work from home rather than come into the office. The social distancing is proving to have a significant effect on the amount of internet usage in the U.S. In fact, much of that internet usage may be a result of employees working more hours as a result of the quarantines.

According to an article from Vice:

U.S. wireless broadband provider Starry told Motherboard the company has seen traffic increase steadily over the last two weeks, nearly tripling during work hours. They’ve also seen a 15 to 20 percent bump in traffic during peak usage hours.

However, the Vice article also notes that ISPs are confident that they can handle the traffic. Verizon, for example, claims to expect no major disruptions from the added spike in internet usage. Usage caps and overage fees are being suspended largely, so companies and individuals won’t need to worry about the cost of this spike.

Meanwhile, NordVPN has been collecting data and believes that employees around the world are working longer hours as a result of this quarantine. The company claims that in the U.S. employees are spending an extra three hours per day on business VPNs now than they were before the COVID-19 outbreak.

“The data as well revealed that employees are starting work earlier, but finishing at the same time. This is perhaps because people are not commuting, and instead of sitting in traffic, they choose to work,” says Daniel Markuson, a digital privacy expert at NordVPN Teams, in a press release.

The chart below shows usage hours before and during the Coronavirus outbreak. This data was collected internally from NordVPN:

In light of all of the uncertainty around the length of time that employees may need to continue to work from home, data like this suggests that loss of productivity as a result of work from home may be a misconception.

With employees avoiding the commute and able to use that time to work, it’s likely that productivity will at least remain stable, if not increase, as a result. Meanwhile, internet availability should hold during this time.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

Jonathan Blackwood
Jonathan Blackwood

Jonathan Blackwood is the Editor-in-Chief of TechDecisions. Jonathan joined TechDecisions in 2014 and writes about technologies that help to innovate and improve practices for companies of all sizes, K-12 and higher education, government, healthcare, hospitality, retail and large venue spaces. He is especially interested in the future of work and education and the Internet of Things. Follow him @BlackwoodTweets.

Tagged With: Bandwidth, Internet

Related Content:

  • Cloud, SASE, Aryaka How the Cloud is Redefining Media Production and…
  • Singlewire Software mass notification interview Singlewire Software on Mass Notification Solutions
  • URI catchbox 1 Catchbox Plus: The Mic Solution That Finally Gave…
  • Engaging virtual meeting with diverse participants discussing creative ideas in a bright office space during daylight hours Diversified Survey: Workplace AV Tech is Falling Short,…

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • Practical Design Guide for Office SpacesPractical Design Guide for Office Spaces

    Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-face time with co-workers. When designing the office spaces — and meeting spaces in particular — enabling that connection between co-workers is crucial. But introducing the right collaboration technology in meeting spaces can […]

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Downloads

Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces
Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces

Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-fa...

New Camera Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow
New Camera System Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow

Sony's HXC-FZ90 studio camera system combines flexibility and exceptional image quality with entry-level pricing.

Creating Great User Experience and Ultimate Flexibility with Clickshare

Working and collaborating in any office environment today should be meaningful, as workers today go to office for very specific reasons. When desig...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

AV-iQ

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Contact Us
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!
Emerald Logo
ABOUTCAREERSAUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERSYour Privacy ChoicesTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY

© 2025 Emerald X, LLC. All rights reserved.