Forbes By Max Silber, Forbes Business Development Council
As many American workers have transitioned to a new remote reality in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, often-overlooked core operations have increasingly come back into focus for businesses across the spectrum. With so many employees working from home and beyond normal controls – and new business slowing to a crawl – companies may be looking for relief from recurring costs, especially in the area of mobile devices and IT communications that support endless conference calls and streaming services.
While these lifelines may keep business moving forward, many companies are finding that it comes at a steep price. The increase in network traffic and total internet usage is stark. As governments initially began to enforce lockdowns and many Americans “sheltered in place,” there was plenty of coverage about a significant increase in mobile usage. AT&T’s CEO indicated in March that their mobile volumes were up 40% and Wi-Fi calling volumes were up 100%. Business apps also boosted user sessions by 105% in quarter one from a year prior, and gaming app usage saw a 132% surge in the last week of March as lockdowns were put into effect throughout the country, according to Adjust data published in Mobile Marketer.