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Internet Speeds Threatened During Olympics

9th February 2012 - Author: Chris Taylor

UK government officials have warned that internet speeds are likely to be impacted upon during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Computer Weekly reports that a new document, entitled 'Preparing your Business for the Games', is advising London-based businesses to communicate with their ISP (internet service provider) about their plans to keep services running under high usage.

Although as yet unconfirmed, the Cabinet Office expects that ISPs will resort to curtailing internet speeds in London to spread the load of available bandwidth.

On London2012.com, it said: "It is possible that internet services may be slower during the Games or in very severe cases there may be drop-outs due to an increased number of people accessing the internet."

To limit the possibility of having capped internet speeds, businesses may decide to employ their own network management tools to control the flow of data across an internet server. This will ensure that essential parts of the business can be supported at all times, or that employees have access to company data when away from the office.

Many thousands of employees in London are expected to be working from home when possible during the Olympic games, so having a steady connection is an absolutely vital issue there.

In the guide, officials also confirmed that there would be dedicated mobile telephone networks surrounding Games venues so that mobile data and signals can be available at all times.

"This will overlay the existing coverage provision and existing customers can expect a 'normal' service during Games-time. However, at times of peak demand it is unavoidable that mobile networks may be slowed down by higher volumes of traffic.

"Voice, e-mail and low-data traffic are unlikely to be affected, but it may be difficult to download larger content such as files or images," it said.