SA internet use surges with record Easter traffic expected to pressure test NBN

South Australia’s internet use has surged as coronavirus forces everyone to stay home. With internet schooling coming in term two, we ask what the NBN is doing to stop the web breaking.

• One new virus case as vaccine trial revealed
• Are you getting the most from your Advertiser subscription?

South Australia’s daytime internet use has surged more than 50 per cent as coronavirus leads workers and students to stay at home.

Figures released to the Sunday Mail show download records have already been broken and we are in the midst of a bumper online weekend.

The National Broadband Network will be further tested with a rise in e-learning as school resumes for term two.

However, NBN executives are confident of sufficient capacity, for when this occurs.

The NBN figures also show SA appears to be bingeing on Foxtel, Kayo and Netflix even more than elsewhere in Australia as our internet use rises faster than the national average. Government orders not to travel this Easter were expected to pressure-test the network again and set a record.

National Broadband Network SA/NT corporate affairs manager Tim Saul said the infrastructure firm raced to put on extra capacity and strike agreements with streaming giants to scale back downloads as it took measures to survive the stay-at-home revolution.

That included getting through a major test on Saturday, March 28, when Australia as a whole hit a download rate of 13.8 terabytes a second. One terabyte of storage holds 250 movies.

It was the first weekend after all major lockdowns came into force and coincided with an update to popular shooter video game Call of Duty. That record was up from a previous peak of just 11 terabytes a second.

Mr Saul said he was confident the NBN would withstand the unexpected demands.

“We’re not celebrating, we’re not high-fiving each other but it has been a good test,” he said. “So far, we are really pleased with how the network is standing up to that.

“The shift of more people at home and not being able to go out as often is shifting them to more videostreaming and online gaming. Social media as well, while it’s not a massive drain on bandwidth, is also seeing a massive increase … with platforms like Zoom.

“When a new series drops, there’s a little bump there because everyone wants to watch Ozark or whatever the show of the day is. People are bingeing those shows.

“But these are the things you’ve got to brace yourself for in the modern world.”

The huge increase in daytime use, measured at 11am, also has been matched with significant but smaller increases in the afternoon and peak night-time TV viewing slot at 8pm. The only declines have been at 6am and 7am, possibly driven by fewer people having the normal morning routine of logging on before setting off on the daily commute.

The NBN has also reported 40,000 new sign-ups nationwide during the lockdown.

The next test of the network comes with an rise in e-learning, as the State Government rolls out programs for students whose parents choose to keep them at home for term two, starting on April 27.

MORE NEWS:

Rival clinics unite in call for IVF rethink

Gladys Berejiklian owes Australia an apology

Drive-thru wake to farewell local hero

Education Minister John Gardner has announced a new platform to create virtual classrooms that can be used by all SA public school teachers.

It allows teachers to create their own individual online space to deliver live video lessons and learning content for their classes. “In response to the coronavirus pandemic, we are making continued learning between the classroom and home easier for SA teachers and their students,” he said.

“It is vital that there are a range of educational solutions. Virtual classrooms are the next step to giving teachers greater involvement in their students’ days if they are not at school.”

Teachers this week had pupil-free days to prepare.

Mr Saul said there was significant daytime capacity for the NBN to handle the increase in remote schooling, because the network was built for even busier night-time peaks.

“We know homeschooling is coming but there is plenty more room for growth in the network in that daytime period,” he said.

“The last couple of weeks, the increases have been significant but we are starting to see that flatten.

“I think these figures will maintain and, when the world does return to some form of normalcy, I’m not sure the network (use) will be quite back to where it was pre-COVID.”

Ninety-five per cent of SA premises have access to the NBN.