Vodafone Fiji has reported a major surge in network traffic given the high reliance placed on the use of technology by businesses as well as individual at this time.

In a statement sent yesterday, Vodafone Fiji said: “The abnormally high network traffic on the Vodafone network is not an isolated case with networks in other countries also reporting similar surge in traffic.

“The Vodafone Fiji network is also not spared as there is more reliance on network for businesses as they seek “work from home” alternatives for their staff.

“During normal times, most of these businesses would be connected through dedicated links in Central Business Districts when employees are at work, hence distributing the mobile traffic load.

“However, as more employees work from home, this invariably skews the traffic to the homes over the mobile networks.

“Additionally, schools have closed in response to COVID-19.

“There is a significant increase in home usage due to the students being confined to their homes because of restricted movement.”

Unprecedented times

These are unprecedented times unlike any other before.

Mobile networks in general are not geared towards such spikes during a sudden and unexpected event impacting the entire nation and world simultaneously.

“Vodafone Fiji is consistently monitoring network quality and performance to ensure its users have consistent reliable connectivity as we try and navigate through this difficult period.

“Network optimisation works continue to be carried out in heavily populated areas to minimise the impact of surge.

“Traffic shaping rules have been applied on the network to ensure all customers get a consistent service even if they are in different areas.

“Despite the proactive actions taken by Vodafone, we still expect ad-hoc congestion on the radio network and base station levels when there is a sudden spike in demand due to an unprecedented event, important news or advisory being issued.

“During these instances, customers will experience certain levels of service degradation.

“We will continue to monitor network performance and adjust network parameters accordingly to ensure that we provide optimum customer experience.

“We are also asking people to be reasonable and keep updated with more important news on COVID-19 and take care of their health and wellbeing.”

Feedback: maraia.vula@fijisun.com.fj