As a follow-up to my blog on streaming video, I have been doing a lot of work with customers to understand the new world that network providers operate in. Both mobile and fixed networks are seeing a tremendous change in traffic patterns that reflect the new “normal” in how consumers utilize broadband connectivity. I have looked extensively at the reports generated by our customers on their network traffic (spanning Cable, DSL, FTTx, Mobile, and Higher Education networks), and have come to the conclusion that the new normal is dramatically different than the old normal.

The New Normal:

1. Consumers have multiple active devices on their broadband connection.
2. Home networks are multi-tasking, even if individual devices are not always multi-tasking.
3. More consumers are dependent on information and activities occurring “in the cloud”
4. Some applications are more important than others, even to consumers Read more [+]