BT: Working from home? We can handle it

BT responds to media claims that the UK’s networks can’t handle the strain of millions of people suddenly working from home

BT claims that its networks are more than capable of handling the surge in demand in the UK caused by millions of people working from home during the coronavirus.

However, BT has instead seen a significant shift in the way that data services across the UK are being used, according to the company's chief technology and information officer Howard Watson.

Watson was responding today to a number of media reports suggesting that the surge could cause internet services to either slow to a crawl or collapse entirely.

He claims that mobile data traffic has actually decreased, albeit only by around five per cent, as people connect their mobiles to home WiFi rather than via their mobile operator. Mobile traffic, meanwhile, has become more evenly distributed across the country and less concentrated in urban hubs. Roaming traffic has also fallen.

Data usage is peaking at around 5pm, coinciding with Prime Minister Boris Johnson's daily coronavirus briefings.

"We are seeing an increase in mobile voice call volumes, which is to be expected. This is well within the levels the network is built to handle, but we would encourage customers to use the landline or IP voice services like Skype as well, especially for long conference calls," Watson added.

VPN traffic has also dramatically increased. "This may mean that companies need to think about how they optimise use of these private networks, or increase their provision of such services."

While the shape of network traffic across the UK has changed, according to Watson, he claims that the organisation is easily capable of responding accordingly.

"At BT, we're monitoring those changes carefully to make sure we can respond rapidly if needed. However the UK's communications infrastructure is well within its capacity limits, and has significant headroom for growth in demand."