Internet traffic soars over 30% in past 15 days of lockdown

Internet traffic in India has surged at least 30% in the past fortnight as people remained indoors during the lockdown, offering much-needed relief to cash-strapped telecom operators. While the increased traffic may take some time to reflect on actual revenues, telecom industry executives consider the volume growth as phenomenal.

The world’s second-most populous nation has been in a lockdown since 25 March, forcing its 1.3 billion people to remain indoors except those in essential services. The lockdown was to initially end on 14 April, but has since been extended till 3 May, though the restrictions were partly eased from Monday.

With cinemas and shopping malls shut, people have turned to other forms of entertainment, as well as to communicate. Besides accessing video streaming platforms, such as Netflix, Indians are also using this downtime to connect with friends and family.

Internet usage has also been driven by companies implementing work-from-home options, while schools have started offering online classes.

“Traffic has shot up like anything. In key cities, it has gone up 40-50% in just two weeks. It’s almost full year growth that we saw in just a couple of weeks,” said a Mumbai-based telecom industry executive, requesting anonymity.

Lata Jha contributed to this story.