Netflix Accounts For 20% Of Peak U.S. Internet Bandwidth

Netflix represents more than 20% of downstream Internet traffic during peak times in the U.S. -- and is heaviest in the primetime hours of 8 to 10 p.m., according to a new report from bandwidth management equipment vendor Sandvine. Overall, Internet users in North America still trail other regions in consumption: North American households use a median of 4 Gigabytes per month of Internet bandwidth, whereas in Asia-Pacific region the median is 12 Gigabytes. According to Sandvine's 2009 report, the worldwide monthly median usage last year was 3 Gigabytes. In North America the average time a fixed connection is active is 3 hours, whereas in Asia-Pacific it's closer to 5.5 hours.