Coronavirus outbreak: Telcos want Amazon, Netflix, YouTube to ease pressure on network infrastructure

Kolkata | Mumbai: Phone companies have sought the joint intervention of the telecom department and the home ministry to coax some 12-odd video streaming platforms/broadcasters such as Amazon, Netflix, YouTube and Hotstar to expedite steps to ease pressure on telco networks infrastructure amid a surge in video services consumption as vast swathes of India Inc work from home amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

The telcos have called on the video streaming/broadcasting service providers to temporarily migrate from HD (hi-definition) to SD (standard definition) streaming, and even dispense with heavy bandwidth-consuming advertisements and pop-ups to ease network load. Such a move, they said, would enable video streaming platforms to continue providing a suitable level of service but at appropriate bit-rates, easing pressure on networks.

Video streaming service providers like Netflix and MX Player said they have started taking steps aimed at using less internet capacity without compromising on quality of streaming.

“We’ve written to DoT (Department of Telecommunications) and the home ministry that it’s absolutely essential for the video streaming service providers/broadcasters to cooperate with phone companies and manage their traffic distribution patterns to ensure they don’t strain telco network infrastructure…,” Rajan Mathews, COAI director general told ET.