Because of the corona virus pandemic, millions of people have moved their work into their own four walls. Home office is the order of the day. But can Germany's broadband infrastructure endure this? After all, series also want to be streamed. Neighboring countries such as Austria and Switzerland complain of the first capacity problems.
Holding video conferences and the like is slowly becoming noticeable. Network operators in Austria and Switzerland are reporting the first problems. The result: According to media reports, a suspension of net neutrality is being considered. Users of streaming services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video could soon look into the dark tube. If the network is overloaded, services that make up a large part of the data usage would be temporarily throttled or even switched off. As the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" (NZZ) writes, corresponding talks have already taken place between the Swiss Confederation and the telecommunications companies.
Do German streaming fans have to worry too?
The measure of temporary shutdown is also possible in Germany, as a spokesman for the Federal Network Agency "NZZ" explained. And not only "in the event of an order by law, court or authority to protect network integrity and security", but also "to prevent or mitigate exceptional or temporary network congestion".
What does Netflix Germany say about the possible measures?
At the request of the news agency spot on news, Netflix Germany did not want to comment on the possible measures. The processes surrounding the corona virus are currently "too dynamic and the topic as a whole too sensitive" to make concrete statements about it. The statement only said that "the issue of corona is being taken very seriously" and "there is currently a lively exchange internally".