The iPlayer pushes broadband to the limit

Virtually everyone knows about the unprecedented success of the BBC’s iPlayer. But following this success there are fears that the demand on the broadband network may be being stretched beyond its limits. There are thousands of users who are getting very close to using up all of their broadband usage, which could result in extra fees.

The iPlayer itself has been blamed for a massive sixty six per cent increase in internet traffic, according to some internet service providers. This is because the average programme is around 300 Mb in size, but some can be as much as double that.

With the average download limit being about 1 Gb per month for the basic broadband packages; it is easy to see how quickly a user can reach their limit by simply downloading two or three programmes. This has prompted fears that many ISP’s will be introducing internet traffic management, which will affect all customers not just those who use the iPlayer.