14 DAY TRIAL // Google has recently announced that YouTube would no longer offer HD video resolution options in Europe for a limited time in an attempt to reduce bandwidth usage and avoid straining the Internet on the continent.
Europe is hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, and starting this week, the majority of countries required employees to work from home.
The Internet usage thus increased, with some products, including Microsoft Teams, struggling to remain online due to the big number of connections. Facebook has also confirmed that WhatsApp experienced issues because of the traffic spike, with the company doubling the number of servers for the messaging service.
EU industry chief Thierry Breton specifically requested streaming services in Europe to reduce video quality in an attempt to avoid Internet outages, and Google is one of the first to respond. YouTube would thus be offered with standard definition videos on the continent to reduce the stress on Internet connections.
“We are making a commitment to temporarily switch all traffic in the EU to standard definition by default,” YouTube said in a statement cited by Reuters.
Netflix likely to switch to SD too
Breton specifically requested Internet companies to disable high-definition streaming and help reduce the network load, especially as everyone is supposed to stay home to avoid contracting the virus.
“Important phone conversation with @ReedHastings, CEO of @Netflix. To beat #COVID19, we #StayAtHome. Teleworking & streaming help a lot but infrastructures might be in strain. To secure Internet access for all, let’s #SwitchToStandard definition when HD is not necessary,” he said in a tweet.
At this point, there are over 246,500 cases of coronavirus infections in the entire world, with Italy remaining the European country with the biggest number of infected citizens. There are over 41,000 people infected with the COVID-19 in Italy, while the number of deaths exceeds 4,400.