COVID-19 RESPONSE

COVID-19 Network Update

Comcast operates the largest residential Internet network in the U.S. – from the fiber that stretches across the country to the WiFi networks that keep our homes and devices connected.

We saw an unprecedented shift in network usage, but it was within the capability of our network; and we delivered the speeds and supported the capacity our customers needed.

Overall network usage rose during COVID-19, and we have seen network traffic plateau in most places.

LAST UPDATED: MAY 20, 2020

We know that connectivity matters right now more than ever, and people across the country are relying on us to keep them connected to work, school, and their families as they navigate these uncertain times. Our technology and engineering teams will continue to work tirelessly to support our network operations 24/7 to ensure network performance and reliability. For more information on what we are doing to help keep everyone connected, click here.

Data on this site compared with March 1st baseline

32%

growth in upstream traffic and 11% growth in downstream traffic

700K+

network diagnostic speed tests performed most days

36%

increase in mobile data use over WiFi on Xfinity Mobile

NETWORK USAGE

We engineer the network for peak capacity to handle spikes and shifts in usage patterns. We regularly invest in our network and have thousands of engineers nationally and locally who work to add capacity where it’s needed.

Our network traffic has plateaued in most markets, including those impacted early by COVID-19.

Graph

Work from home is driving new application usage growth. Weekday usage is up, driven primarily by VoIP, Video Conferencing, and VPN as people continue to work and learn from home.

VoiP and Video Conferencing is up 210-285%
VPN traffic is up 30-40%

“Primetime” on our network (the busiest time of day) looks dramatically different today as the nation settles into new patterns. Since March 1, we have seen a 32% increase in upstream traffic and 11% increase in downstream traffic, still within the overall capacity of our network. Downstream peak has moved from 9 PM to between 7 PM and 8 PM, while upstream peak has moved from 9 PM to between 8 AM and 6 PM in most cities.

Decorative Graph

Entertainment, streaming, and gaming continue to dominate. Evening and weekend usage is up with customers significantly increasing the amount of time spent watching television and gaming; peak downstream traffic continues to be in the evenings and weekends nationally, on average.

Gaming downloads are up 20-80%, depending upon new releases
Streaming and web video consumption is up 20-40%
On television, we are seeing similar patterns:
- +8 viewing hours per week per household
- +50% VOD hours consumed YOY
- +250% increase in voice search for “Free” content
- We have seen Voice Remote queries top 50 million some days

WIFI INCREASES

As the world works from home, WiFi is the wireless workhorse keeping us all connected.

On Xfinity Mobile, we see a 17% decline in LTE Data usage and a 36% increase in mobile data usage over WiFi

Decorative icons representing mobile phones.

RELIABILITY

Our network is performing well. We are micro-monitoring our network including running 700K+ diagnostic speed tests most days. We continuously test, monitor, and enhance our systems and network to ensure they are ready to support customer usage. Our network engineers across the country are working around the clock to add capacity where it’s needed.

Our ongoing, proactive network investment to add fiber and capacity has put us in a good position to manage the increases that we are experiencing today. While the COVID-19 experience is new and unprecedented, the Internet ecosystem is flexible and performing the way it was designed.

We engineer the network to handle spikes and shifts in usage, and what we have seen so far with COVID-19 is within our capacity.

PRIVACY AND SECURITY

Privacy, security, and safety online have never been more important. As more people use the Internet to stay connected, it’s more important than ever for our customers to stay vigilant. Here is our commitment to privacy and security.

We help protect our customers with multiple layers of security that automatically detect and block hundreds of thousands of cyber events every second and a team of security experts who are working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.