As the world becomes increasingly dependent on the internet, the demand for high-speed data has skyrocketed. During the lockdowns of COVID-19, many businesses started to use video based meeting services such as Zoom, Teams, and Hangouts to allow homeworkers to have virtual meetings with customers and colleagues, even if they were unable to meet face to face. 

The uptake in video, conferencing and unified communications.

Video uses considerably more bandwidth than email and voice calls, and when returning to the office, the adoption of video has remained a preferred means of communication. This surge in demand for bandwidth has highlighted something referred to as contention – where multiple users compete for a limited amount of bandwidth. This puts increased demand on WiFi and LAN infrastructure, as well as on the internet connections themselves.

Are you trying to order an internet connection but been let down by providers and trying to make do with 4G as a temporary solution? Maybe you have been scratching your head wondering why at certain times of the day a connection is not as reliable as other times?

In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at contention, the differences between lower cost fibre broadband compared to un-contended leased lines, the importance of having suitable infrastructure in place and how private APNs on mobile networks, can help alleviate certain issues

What is internet “contention”?

Internet contention occurs when many users are trying to access the same network resources simultaneously. This can lead to slow data transfer speeds, dropped connections, and other issues. For example, when multiple users in a household are streaming movies or playing online games, it can cause internet contention, leading to slow speeds for all users.

In the context of mobile data networks, internet contention can be caused by a large number of users trying to access the network at the same time. This can happen in densely populated areas or at events where large crowds gather. In such situations, the network resources become strained, leading to slow data transfer speeds and dropped connections. 

If you have been to collect your kids from secondary school and sat outside in the car, you may have noticed that you can get online to check social media relatively easily. As soon as the bell goes and close to 1000 teens come outside and all turn on their mobile devices, despite your phone still showing you have 4 or 5 bars, the available bandwidth can almost grind to a halt. 

This is a perfect example of the local cell towers being overwhelmed due to contention. When everyone goes home the available bandwidth may then increase due to a much lesser number of users fighting for it.

You may have experienced similar struggles if working from home? On relatively cheap ADSL, and Fibre Broadband services they share the bandwidth with a certain number of other users. At peak times (like when the kids come home) available speeds might not be as high as before due to the increased demand on bandwidth.

Rule of thumb, budget connections tend to be more contended or more restrictive. Higher availability, better SLA and guaranteed speeds come at a cost.

Un-contended or dedicated internet access.

Many schools and businesses that rely on the internet opt for un-contended often referred to as 1:1 connections. This means that the bandwidth is for their exclusive use and they are not fighting for bandwidth like you might do on a domestic or lower cost business connection. The price for this type of service however is often considerably more expensive due to that exclusivity and guaranteed speeds on offer. If internet connectivity is mission critical to your operation, you should perhaps consider an un-contended service.

What are private APNs?

Private APNs (Access Point Names) are a way to create a private network on top of a public mobile data network. This private network is created by establishing a secure connection between the user’s device and the network’s servers. 

Private APNs can be used to alleviate internet contention on mobile data networks. By creating a private network, users can bypass the public network’s contention issues and access network resources more quickly. This is because private APNs prioritise traffic on the private network, ensuring that users on the network receive a higher quality of service.

Wi-Fi infrastructure & contention.

A business that installed a local area network with Wi-Fi pre lockdown may have been able to connect without any issues for a  number of years. With the increase of video usage I mentioned earlier, and more people returning to the office from home, all of a sudden a business may start noticing issues when more users are all fighting for the bandwidth. 

The WiFi access points that had previously been great, then start to feel the strain and may need upgrading, additional may need AP’s installing or the network optimising to share the load better.

If any of this resonates with you or situations your business is facing please get in touch.

We like to help.