Real-time video surpasses P2P, creating new broadband 'prime-time'

A new report from deep packet inspection vendor Sandvine finds that the heaviest use of broadband networks has shifted to viewing streaming video - and primarily between the traditional prime-time hours of 7-10 pm. That finding, along with a concurrent shift away from heavy peer-to-peer (P2P) users being the biggest consumers of broadband bandwidth, represents a major shift in bandwidth consumption. It also has major implications for network service providers and how they manage their traffic, made even more complex thanks to the heavy interest in net neutrality these days in Washington (DC). It also comes as similar surveys from Cisco and Arbor Networks in recent days have been released with similar conclusions: overall bandwidth consumption is increasing, with streaming slowly overtaking P2P.