World Cup 2014’s final game between Argentina and Germany on Sunday will generate 4.3 exabytes of IP traffic – three times the monthly IP traffic generated by Brazil’s 201m population, the Cisco Visual Networking Index suggests.
The Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) projects that the 60,000 fans attending the average World Cup match will have generated more mobile IP traffic than the entire 94m smartphone subscribers in Brazil.
The near 80,000 fans at Sunday’s final in the Maracanã Stadium will far out-strip this level of online activity.
By the time of the next World Cup Finals in 2018, internet activity will have increased to such an extent that the traffic for 2018 alone – will equal all internet traffic from its onset to last year (1984-2013, 1.3 zettabytes).
To put this in context, by 2018, monthly global IP traffic will be equal to 7.6 billion screens (the world population will reach 7.6 billion people by 2018 according to the United Nations) simultaneously streaming the FIFA World Cup Final in Ultra High-Definition (UHD) or 4K video format.
Cisco said a major factor in IP traffic growth will be the interconnectivity of smart devices including light bulbs, fridges, cars and TVs.
“This networking of devices and things is creating a new wave of internet connectivity, an internet of everything,” said Cisco Ireland country manager Adam Grennan.
“The trends identified in the Cisco Visual Networking Index confirm that the Internet of Everything is a reality. By 2018, for the first time ever, the majority of internet traffic will come from devices other than PCs.
“These incredible innovations represent significant opportunities for service providers today and in the future,” Grennan said.
Football image via Shutterstock
