On the shoulders of giants: recent changes in Internet traffic

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in internet traffic as people rely on it to stay connected with friends and family, work from home, and access news and entertainment. Video conferencing, streaming services, and e-commerce websites have seen surges in usage. Internet traffic patterns are changing, with residential broadband networks seeing growth while business and university networks experience a slowdown. Entire countries are watching their leaders' announcements on the pandemic, leading to spikes or dips in internet traffic. Some national research networks have become almost as quiet as weekends due to university closures. Internet Exchange Points have also seen increases in traffic. The core of the Internet remains robust despite occasional service outages. Traffic is shifting from corporate and university networks to residential broadband, but the Internet was designed for change.