Since the lockdown began we’ve seen a lot of data around how our broadband services are holding up. Initially — and frankly, as expected — the latency on both fixed and mobile connections increased while speeds dropped. As the weeks rolled by, while there is a small decrease in the “normal” speeds we would see, our services are holding strong.
The latest update on the data from Ookla shows continued data delivery via our fixed broadband services and in the last week, a recovery of sorts for mobile broadband.
April 22, 2020: Mobile download speed in Australia increased when comparing the week of April 13 to the week prior, while download speed over fixed broadband remained relatively flat during the same period.
That’s great news for users like myself who are reliant upon their mobile service for office connection. It’s also great news for users who just don’t have fixed broadband services. The big test is yet to come as schools are set to return next week. While many schools are back to business as usual, others are offering online learning for the first time. What this means for our broadband infrastructure is higher usage throughout the day and potentially a detrimental effect on service.
Next week’s update will give us more insight into what the effect of having a lot of students working from home has done to service delivery. I’m fortunate enough to be on FTTP at my home and have seen a minimal decrease in speed, nothing more during this lockdown.
What effects have you seen on your broadband services during the COVID-19 pandemic?
