How Much Traffic Will Your Cable / Telco Network Generate?

Cisco VNI Forecast Projects 1.6 Zettabytes of Global IP Traffic by 2018

Last June, Cisco released an update to its annual Visual Networking Index (VNI), 2013 – 2018. The forecast projects a global annual run rate of 1.6 zettabytes IP traffic by 2018 (up from 614 exabytes of global IP traffic in 2013).  A zettabyte certainly sounds like a big number (equivalent to 1 billion terabytes, external storage drives generally come in a terabyte denomination). But how can this forecast methodology be applied to an individual cable or a telecommunications provider’s footprint?  Our updated Cable/Telco Service Provider Abstract Network (CT-SPAN) tool can help answer this question.  CT-SPAN is developed using the latest VNI assumptions for fixed networks and enable you to quickly develop customized service provider scenarios to estimate the annual traffic forecasts and revenue. It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Select your region and service provider type as well as some basic subscriber and network info.
2. Provide some high-level application info.

3. Start reviewing/analyzing your customized subscriber and network projections.

2014 CT-SPAN Enhancements

This year, we introduced a video traffic split by service quality – standard definition (SD), high definition (HD), and ultra-high definition (UHD).  Video, in general, has a multiplier effect on traffic. An Internet-enabled HD television that draws 50 minutes of HD content per day from the Internet would generate as much Internet traffic as an entire household today. With the introduction of ultra-high-definition (UHD) or 4K video streaming this impact is even more pronounced. This is because the bit rate for 4K video at about 18 Mbps is more than double the HD video bit rate and nine times more than standard-definition (SD) video bit rate.  The adoption of UHD is expected to ramp up globally. Unlike 3-D television which had high cost hardware and programming requirements that limited end user adoption and service provider roll-out, UHD as a service has better end user economics and the technology for content creation / upscaling ( 4 K cameras are already in use by many studios) is well on its way.

Try the CT-SPAN Tool Today
We realize that our service provider customers are acutely aware of their network metrics and many have developed proprietary tools to monitor and forecast network performance and growth. Our goal is to provide an independent tool that enables you to confirm (or enhance) your projections as well as model various “what if” scenarios (in a quick and simple fashion). If you’d like to see the impact of UHD, Wi-Fi offload and other consumer Internet and IP applications on the fixed network please try the tool at your convenience. We offer a complete user guide and a Q&A document to answer frequently asked questions about the tool. And we’d appreciate your feedback – direct your comments to ask-span@cisco.com. Let us know how you used the tool and how we can improve it for your future needs. Prefer social? Then tweet us @CiscoVNI.