Internet traffic on the BNIX network regularly exceeded 500 gigabits per second in 2024.
Belnet, the manager of BNIX, Belgium’s national internet node, reported this in a statement on Thursday. Such peaks had not been seen since the Covid-19 pandemic when traffic even reached 600 Gbit/s.
After the pandemic, the Belgian internet node returned to normal levels in 2022 and 2023. However, 2024 saw significant spikes.
On Monday, 4 November 2024, BNIX recorded 520 Gbit/s, a 15% increase from the 2023 record of 462 Gbit/s. Belnet noted that reaching 500 Gbit/s is now common.
Stefan Gulinck, Senior Network Architect at Belnet and co-responsible for BNIX, said the exact cause of these peaks is unclear. "It’s often a mix of several small factors. Sometimes, the link to a specific event is obvious. For instance, we’ve seen spikes at the start of each school year."
He added that BNIX traffic did not experience its usual summer lull in 2024. "This is likely due to what has been dubbed the "ultimate sports summer," marked by the Euro football tournament and the Olympics, with more people streaming these events rather than watching on TV."
In 2024, the average traffic on the BNIX platform decreased slightly by 10%. However, this does not indicate a decline in overall internet traffic in Belgium, Belnet emphasised.
"This reduction is partly due to the establishment of ‘direct peerings’ by some BNIX participants, allowing them to exchange some traffic via direct connections rather than through BNIX."
