Why Broadband Changes Everything

The slow and steady increase in broadband speeds means we are using the Internet more often for more things.

Statistical proof of this trend came via the latest edition of Cisco Systems Visual Networking Index (VNI) Study. According to the study, the average broadband connection is now generating 14.9 GB of Internet traffic per month, up 31 percent from last year when it was 11.4 GB per month. And while a majority of this traffic is coming from online video -- streaming not P2P -- the trends show that we are using the Internet for more than just that. Give us more speed and we will use it all. And then we'll want more of it. Communication services such as Skype only increase the daily usage of the Internet. Add to the mix addictive sites like Facebook, Zynga and Groupon, and you can see that the Internet is becoming deeply embedded in our lives.

There is an interesting dynamic of the web -- the peak traffic -- that is equivalent of prime time on television. Peak-hour Internet traffic is 72 percent higher than Internet traffic during an average hour. In an average day, Internet "prime time" ranges from approximately 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. (for the local time zone) around the world.