Why do you need to continually increase bandwidth?

Question

Someone told me you need to increase your bandwidth over time or your internet speed will slow down. Is this true? And why so?

Answer 1

The average bandwidth increases as technology improves the ability to deliver higher speeds. You may have read about a recent test of a fiber-based Internet connection that delivers speeds in excess of 100 megabits per second. Web content is designed with the average internet user's speed in mind. Content that was outrageously too large 10 years ago is commonplace now; streaming video at 1080p 30+ frames per second is feasible nowadays, whereas a decade ago it seemed a pipe dream. In order to take advantage of the larger content, people need to upgrade in speed, thus raising the average speed ever so slightly. It all adds up.

Answer 2

Simply it is boyle's law for data.



Data will expand to fill the space available to it. More hard drive space makes it practical to store bigger photos.



The availability of fatter network pipes makes it practical to ship ythose photos around.



The availablity of broadband for end users makes it more practical to have the web site look slicker, and more media intensive - how many sites now try to give a "full multimedia experience" by gicing you videos and music whether you want them or not?



So it is simply a cycles where data expands, so the entwork gets more bandwidth so the data expands further.

Answer 3

web content continues be come more bandwidth intensive