LONDON, April 26 (UPI) -- Demand for Internet bandwidth is growing so rapidly that connectivity will suffer starting as early as next year, U.S. experts predict.
Nemertes Research, a U.S. technology think tank, will publish a report this year that predicts consumer demand for Internet usage -- which is exploding by more than 60 percent per year -- will begin soon to outstrip bandwidth supply, and by 2012 PCs and laptops will operate at greatly reduced speeds, The Sunday Times of London reported.
"With more people working or looking for work from home, or using their PCs more for cheap entertainment, demand could double in 2009," Ted Ritter, a Nemertes analyst, told The Times. "At best, we see the (economic) slowdown delaying the fractures for maybe a year."
The unprecedented popularity of bandwidth-eating video streaming Web sites such as YouTube and the BBC's iPlayer, which allows users to watch high-definition television programs on their computers, have thrown earlier predictions on bandwidth needs into disarray, The Times said.
"For business purposes, such as delivering medical records between hospitals in real time, (the Internet will be) useless," Ritter said.
