The COVID-19 epidemic is a tragedy for tens of thousands and life-changing for hundreds of millions. It’s impossible to say what the long-term effects will be at this early stage,…
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Just a few weeks ago, working from home was a minority pursuit. Only 7 percent of U.S. workers had the option of working from home according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s 9.8 million of the 140-million-strong civilian workforce.
On an ordinary weekday, we expect to see around 30 percent of knowledge workers logging on from outside the office. By late March 2020, 60 percent of knowledge workers were working from home as part of the effort to stem the spread of COVID-19.
In addition to the massive increases in remote working, home broadband networks have also seen large increases in day-time utilization from non-essential workers forced to stay at home. The use of video conferencing has exploded as meetings move online and people try to stay connected to isolated family and friends.
VPN providers have also experienced substantial bandwidth increases. In the six days from March 9 to March 15, VPN vendor Atlas saw a 53 percent increase in VPN use, a figure that is almost certain to grow as lockdowns and quarantines become more widespread.
Remote workers, the self-isolating, and the furloughed have transformed network bandwidth patterns.
National Networks are Coping Well
The large-scale fiber networks that connect the country have more than enough capacity to cope with increased demand. They are equipped to handle traffic peaks. However, remote workers in cities like Seattle have experienced slow-downs caused by contention in last-mile networks.
All of the larger cable and wireless companies are taking steps to combat last-mile congestion and congestion in the mobile broadband networks, including network upgrades and the use of emergency cell-towers that are typically rolled out during natural disasters.
Broadband Providers Reduce Costs and Enhance Networks
Broadband providers are also moving to support remote workers by lifting bandwidth caps and offering automatic upgrades. Comcast has lifted data caps on broadband bandwidth. Cox has upgraded many residential broadband packages and deployed planned bandwidth upgrades early.
The FCC is working with broadband and cable providers to enhance wired and wireless broadband connectivity. FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks has announced the intention to expedite licenses to extend network capacities, including the opening up of additional wireless spectrum. T-Mobile has been granted permission to use an additional 600Mhz Band spectrum for 4G and 5G. Dish has donated some of its AWS-4 spectrum to the major telecom providers.
Remote Work and 5G
The rapid adoption of remote working was caused by a crisis, but it’s unlikely that working patterns will return to “normal” once the crisis is over. Businesses that have never experimented with remote work or tested its feasibility have been forced to implement processes and systems to support remote work. One consequence of COVID-19 will be the lasting adoption of remote work throughout the U.S.
Accelerated rollouts of 5G are likely to play a significant role in supporting the new remote environment. Verizon has announced plans to increase capital spending in 2020 by $500 million to accelerate its 5G network expansion and support the economy during the coronavirus crisis.
The need for faster and more widespread rollouts of 5G has been recognized by both the FCC and broadband providers, which have risen to the technological and logistical challenge of supporting workers through these uncertain times.
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