OpenVault: EU streaming quality request signals need for policy enforcement tools
Hoboken, NJ; April 2, 2020 – Despite proactive reductions in streaming quality by many of the largest OTT providers, European business hours broadband consumption has risen at varying levels with a blended growth rate of approximately 65% and overall usage growing more than 30%. The insights comparing March usage with January consumption were released today by OpenVault, a leading provider of technology solutions and industry analytics for broadband operators and shed new light into how the coronavirus pandemic is shaping broadband activity.
As social distancing and shelter-at-home rules have taken effect throughout the month of March, OpenVault has observed specifically in Europe that:
- Subscribers’ average usage during the weekday 9 am-to-5 pm period has risen by an average of 1.4 GB, from 2 GB during business hours in January to 3.4 GB based on the last few days in March.
- During the same period, peak hours (6 pm–11 pm) usage has risen an average of 32% since January.
- Overall daily usage has grown to between 6.5 to 9.5 GB, 17-35% higher than January figures.
Overall monthly consumption for March in Europe is 244 GB per subscriber, an increase of 24.5% over the end of year 2019 usage of 196 GB reported in OpenVault’s Q4 OVBI report., The increase has occurred despite actions by large streaming video providers, at the request of the European Union (EU), to reduce video quality and lessen bandwidth consumption.
“Ultimately the EU’s recent regulatory action to allow operators to enforce bandwidth restrictions on individual subscribers is a recognition of potential capacity concerns on some European broadband networks,” said Mark Trudeau, CEO and founder of OpenVault. “While streaming provider actions are sufficient at the moment to free capacity, it is likely that subscribers’ streaming habits adopted today will continue even after this crisis is past, leading to a need for policy enforcement tools that can help operators keep broadband traffic flowing unencumbered.”
About OpenVault
OpenVault’s solution suite tracks broadband data usage consumption levels for millions of subscribers and helps operators across the globe better manage their networks, saving time and costs while increasing revenue and subscriber satisfaction. Network operators use OpenVault’s easy-to-use tools to dramatically improve visibility into their networks and automate management functions to proactively handle congestion, forecast network requirements, monetize broadband growth and communicate with subscribers. For more information, please visit openvault.com.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Kristen Nihamin at knihamin@openvault.com or 917-509-9028
Paul Schneider at pspr@att.net or 215-817-4384