As India connects to stay connected, net loses its zip

Consumers of mobile and home broadband services, especially those in urban areas, have seen their network speeds slow down by around 20% because of an up to 30% surge in consumption on average, especially of videos.

This is expected to get worse, with speeds expected to slow by another 25-30%, as internet usage is expected increase more, clogging networks as the country stays locked down due to the Covid-19 outbreak, industry experts said.

“Data consumption will increase by 30% at least over the next few weeks and the uptick will continue till lockdown exists,” said Rajesh Chharia, president of Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI).