Driven by the mandatory quarantine in the country, internet usage is on the rise in Colombia and local carriers, as well as regulators, are watching this growth closely in order to avoid network overload.

The Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) found out that the total Internet traffic in Colombia increased by 37.8% during March of this year compared to February, and 25.1% compared to January. The regulation entity asked the main carriers to report the evolution of internet traffic between January and March, along with a daily report from March 30. The information is from La Republica local newspaper.

“The increase in traffic doesn’t represent a risk for the network, since it is dimensioned to support this demand and maintain the service at peak times, however, we will continue to monitor Internet behavior to design the strategies required with the purpose of guaranteeing continued access to the service,” explained the executive director of CRC, Carlos Lugo Silva. CRC also noticed an increase in usage of platforms such as Facebook, Google, and Netflix, a behavior similar to that observed in the months of January and February, prior to isolation.