COVID-19 AND UK NETWORKS: HOW LOCKDOWN CHANGED TRAFFIC PATTERNS AND HOW THE INDUSTRY AND REGULATOR RESPONDED

摘要

Phone and broadband services have been crucial in making extended pandemic lockdowns viable. Had COVID-19 instead been 'COVID-09' there would have been far greater disruption to society and the economy. Lower internet take-up would have prevented some from being able to work from home. Broadband speeds averaged ten times slower in 2010, meaning reliable video calls would for many have been impossible.Crucial online services used by consumers during the pandemic were also less sophisticated in 2010. Video-conferencing tools for work and socialising were in their infancy. E-commerce provided much less choice, so the impact of closed shops would have been more acute. Services such as video-on-demand and social media had yet to be launched or were nascent; for example, Netflix only launched a UK streaming service in 2012.