‘Internet Traffic Increases 1000% Year On Year’ Says Datamonitor

Internet traffic is to overtake voice traffic in the year 2000, according to the latest report by Datamonitor, which shows that IP (Internet provider) traffic is increasing by 1000% per month. PSTN (public switched telephone network) on the other hand, is showing a growth of under 10%.

Datamonitor also predicts that the growing reliance of enterprises on the internet as a real business tool will ensure a continued traffic explosion. The groups projections show that IP and PSTN traffic will be roughly equal by the turn of the century, but expect IP traffic to accelerate well into the lead over the following 2 years.

Philip Codling, a consultant at Datamonitor, commented: “The major telcos have realised the potential threat, as well as the tremendous opportunity, that the shift towards Internet technologies presents to their evolving business focus.”

The internet’s increasing commercialisation has also been recognised by service providers. Many companies have recently announced the launch of free internet provision, the most recent being Virgin Net and Tesco (see Newsline).

Datamonitor: 0171 316 0001