Swine flu 'could put strain on the internet'

Extra strain could be placed on the internet as a result of the swine flu outbreak, experts have claimed.

According to Peter Sevcik and Rebecca Wetzel of NetworkWorld, the virus could lead to local networks bearing the brunt of extra traffic should it turn into a global pandemic.

They explained that a pandemic would mean that company owners and employees will have to use their home internet connections to continue operating their businesses, while others forced to stay home are likely to use the web more to stave off boredom.

If this scenario becomes a reality, "the loads on local access networks will exceed capacity, slowing performance to all", Mr Sevcik and Ms Wetzel warned.

The comments came shortly after Nemertes Research said that internet traffic is likely to double this year as a result of increased usage of services like YouTube and the BBC iPlayer - which may mean businesses could do well to switch to a more reliable web hosting provider if they also host rich media on their sites.

Written by Dipika Patel