Network Bandwidth Demand Expected to Grow Fivefold

With each new device that connects to the Internet, the corresponding demand for network bandwidth grows. The collective weight of all those client devices is about to increase demand for network bandwidth by a factor of five by 2018, according to a new report conducted by ACG Research and sponsored by Ciena Networks, a provider of network infrastructure. The report attributes the root cause of all this increased demand for network bandwidth will be video content, increasing device penetration and higher physical network usage in order to offload wireless networks. "Mobile broadband bandwidth demand, which is being driven by continuing increases in device penetration, hours of use, more applications and the increased bandwidth capacity of mobile devices, is creating a potential bottleneck at the fiber backhaul network," the report said. Connected cars and the Internet of things will put additional strain on networks. For managed service providers, the implications are clear. Not only will there be demand for more advanced networking gear, services that optimize the flow of data traffic across the network will be in high demand. The difficulty, of course, is going to be acquiring the expertise needed to rise to that challenge.