Global IP traffic will increase fourfold by 2014: Cisco

Cisco has announced the results of the Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI)
Forecast and Methodology, 2009-2014, which projects that global IP traffic will
continue to be dominated by video exceeding 91 percent of global consumer IP
traffic by 2014. Improvements in network bandwidth capacity and Internet speed,
along with increasing popularity of HDTV and 3DTV are key factors expecting to
quadruple IP traffic from 2009 to 2014.

To help the network users in understanding global IP traffic growth drivers
and trends, Cisco updated several of its unique resources:

• The VNI Forecast widget that provides customized views of the growth of
  various network traffic types around the globe (revised for the 2009-2014
  forecast period)
• The VNI PC Pulse application for desktop and laptops that help consumers
  to learn more about their individual impact on IP networks and compare network
  usage with others around the world

The Cisco VNI forecast focuses on two primary user groups: consumer and
business users. It was developed as an annual study to estimate global IP
traffic growth and trends. Projections are based on Cisco analysis and modeling
of independent traffic, usage and device data.

The Cisco VNI PC Pulse application measures the amount and types of traffic
that one generates from PC. The application also provides a new 'IP DNA'
abstract image that represents your personal usage preferences, where users can
compare their individual data against aggregate global statistics from other
Cisco VNI PC Pulse users around the world to see how they rate.

A comparison on how network speed enables IP traffic growth from 2000 to 2010
shows that in just a decade, the average global residential Internet connection
download speed increased 35 times, which has helped to dramatically increase
Internet usage. In the year 2000, the average global residential Internet
connection download speed was 127 Kbps in the current year, it is 4.4 Mbps.
"Service providers are faced with evolving bandwidth and scalability
requirements, as residential, business and mobile consumers continue to
demonstrate a healthy appetite for advanced video services across a variety of
networks and devices," said Suraj Shetty, VP-Cisco Service Provider Marketing.

DQC News Bureau