Nepal saw its internet traffic hit its highest in the week during the final match of the FIFA Football World Cup 2022 between Argentina and France. As per Nepal Internet Exchange data, the internet bandwidth peaked around 37 Gbps on Sunday, December 18, from 9 pm to 11 pm.
In fact, internet traffic was at its peak throughout the grand tournament. Media Hub, the company with exclusive broadcasting rights for the live matches structured a payment-based model for Nepal viewers. It required subscribers to pay Rs 565 to watch the games live. Himalaya TV broadcasted the matches live from Qatar while many opted not to subscribe. Many Nepali Football fans preferred to stream the matches on apps or websites leading to higher internet traffic over the month.
Talking about the highest internet traffic, November 23 (Mangsir 5) had the superlative toll. The npix stats showed that on that, Nepal’s internet blazed at the speed of 44.41 Gbps. Since then, the figure stood somewhat similar all the way to the final showdown.
The stats are also a reflection of Nepal’s digital inclusion as well as the improving penetration of broadband internet service. The fact that many could stream matches on the internet sheds a positive light on Nepal’s increase in ICT growth. But whether the trend of using pirated sites and using VPN to access geo-locked content is justified remains a debate.
Also read: How Much Data Is Required To Stream A Football Match?
Internet traffic was high globally during the Football World Cup Final 2022
Speaking of internet traffic, Google Search also recorded its highest traffic in its 25 years of service during the final match of the Football World Cup.
As internet access improves more people will take to online means to consume popular content instead of being limited to television channels. But the digital divide does exist as the internet access discrepancy remains wide between urban and rural areas.
How did your internet perform during the times FIFA World Cup matches were played? Do share your experience below in the comments.
