The 'Online Colleges' Internet infographic looks at the increase in the use of bandwidth caused by students' mobile devices.
This seems to be a rising problem for college campuses, as many students not only bring a cell phone to school, but tote iPads, laptops and even game consoles as well. In fact, 41 percent of students have three or more devices hooked to the Internet at one time, and 71 percent of those students have indicated that the overload has impacted their networks and reduced surfing speed.
Tablets consume about 89.5 percent of bandwidth, while smart-phones eat up 85.6 percent, followed by iPods at 76.4 percent. As technology continues to advance, people will continue to purchase more and more devices. One can only hope that with time, methods of Internet access will also improve to accommodate the large demand.
Bandwidth-Consumption Graphics
The 'Online Colleges' Internet Study Explains a Rise in Usage
Trend Themes
1. Bandwidth Overload - There is an opportunity for internet service providers and network administrators to develop new solutions to handle the increasing demand for bandwidth caused by students' mobile devices.
2. Multi-device Usage - Manufacturers can capitalize on the trend of students using three or more devices by creating products tailored to this market segment such as adaptable devices and software.
3. Internet Usage Analytics - As the use of multiple devices continues to grow, there is an opportunity for developers and analysts to create new tools and visualizations to help users better understand how they are consuming bandwidth.
Industry Implications
1. Internet Service Providers - There is a growing demand for internet service providers to improve their infrastructure to handle the increasing bandwidth consumption caused by students' multi-device usage.
2. Manufacturers - There is opportunity for manufacturers to develop and market products such as adaptable devices and software tailored to students using three or more devices in the classroom.
3. Analytics and Big Data - There is a growing need for companies working in analytics and big data to develop new tools and visualizations to help users better understand their internet usage across multiple devices.