Growth predicted for global web traffic
Web 2.0
18 June 2008
Global internet traffic is set to grow at a rate of almost 100 per cent every two years due to an explosion in the use of Web 2.0 applications, it has been claimed.
A report from networking specialist Cisco Systems has predicted that web traffic will increase at a combined annual growth rate of 46 per cent by 2012 as a result of the popularity of social media and video websites.
Surges in video and mobile traffic were highlighted by the firm, as well as the fact that such a rise in traffic levels could lead to annual bandwidth requirements rising to 522 exabytes - or 522 billion gigabytes - in the next four years.
Suraj Shetty, vice president of service provider marketing at Cisco, said: "Until just a few years ago, exabyte was an unheard-of term.
"However, because of the massive growth we're seeing, by 2012 we will have to reorient our vocabulary once again, as the metric that we need then will be the zettabyte [one trillion gigabytes]."
In related news, Richard Whitt of search engine giant Google recently said at the Innovation 08 event that the company is working on a suite of network analysis tools for use by broadband subscribers, helping them to detect any traffic discrimination by internet service providers, the Register reports.
To make more money from your website
CALL US NOW ON 01483 740800.
