Coronavirus outbreak: Telcos want Amazon, Netflix, YouTube to ease pressure on network infrastructure

Kolkata | Mumbai: Phone companies have sought the joint intervention of the telecom department and the home ministry to coax some 12-odd video streaming platforms/broadcasters to expedite steps to ease pressure on telco networks amid a surge in video consumption as vast swathes of the workforce work from home amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

These broadcasters include Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube and Hotstar.

The telcos have called on the video streaming/broadcasting service providers to temporarily migrate from HD (hi-definition) to SD (standard definition) streaming, and even dispense with heavy bandwidth-consuming advertisements and pop-ups to ease network load. They said this would enable video streaming platforms to continue suitable level of service but at appropriate bit-rates, easing pressure on networks.