This archive report was first published on 5 May 2020.
As the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of corporate workers have been forced to work from home, relying on their internet service providers to keep them connected. However, many are experiencing a rude awakening, with poor internet quality causing frustration and disrupting live video sessions.
According to experts, the problem lies not with the technology itself, but with the way internet service providers (ISPs) manage their networks. With many consumers subscribing to premium services, but receiving entry-level quality of service, the issue is not just about bandwidth, but also about packet-loss and latency.
Packet-loss, for instance, occurs when data is lost during transmission, causing users to experience dropped packets, voice breaking off, and streaming video getting jittery. This can be attributed to congestion on the network, where multiple subscribers are sharing the same bandwidth, leading to a decrease in quality.
Latency, on the other hand, refers to the time it takes for data to travel from the user's device to the server and back. This can be influenced by various factors, including the size of the bandwidth, congestion, and even lazy engineering by ISPs.
One expert likened the problem to a truck driver being given a 'zigzag' route from Nairobi to Mombasa, increasing the latency tenfold. This is exactly what some ISPs are doing, inflicting maximum pain on their customers.
While some consumers may choose to cry, protest, or tweet about the issue, the only real solution is for the communication regulator to implement minimum quality standards for ISPs. Without such regulatory intervention, the 'work-from-home' agenda will remain a pipe dream for many employees.
Mr. Walubengo, a lecturer at Multimedia University of Kenya, Faculty of Computing and IT, emphasizes the need for better internet quality to support remote work.
