你家网速变慢了吗

Quarantines around the world have made people more reliant on the internet to communicate，work，learn and stay entertained。But as the use of YouTube，Netflix， Zoom videoconferencing，Facebook calls and video gaming has surged to new highs， the stress on internet infrastructure is starting to show in Europe and the United States and the traffic is probably far from its peak。

世界各地的隔离使得人们更加依赖网络来进行交流、工作、学习和娱乐。但随着 YouTube 、Netflix、Zoom视频会议、Facebook通话和电子游戏的使用飙升至新高，互联网基础设施承受的压力开始在欧洲和美国显现—而这个流量可能还远未达到峰值。

To head off problems European regulators like Mr。Breton have pushed streaming companies such as Netflix and YouTube to reduce the size of their video files so they don’t take up as much bandwidth。In the United States，regulators have given wireless carriers access to more spectrum to bolster the capacity of their networks。

为了遏制这一问题，包括布雷顿在内的欧洲监管者开始督促网飞和油管等流媒体公司压缩他们视频文件的规格，以避免占用过多宽带。美国监管机构则对无线运营商开放更多频段，以增加其网络容量。

Some tech companies have responded to the call to ease internet traffic。YouTube，which is owned by Google，said this week that it would reduce the quality of its videos from high to standard definition across the globe。Disney delayed the start of its Disney Plus streaming service in France by two weeks，and Microsoft’s Xbox asked gaming companies to introduce online updates and new releases only at certain times to prevent network congestion。

一些科技公司已对缓解互联网压力的号召作出响应。谷歌旗下的YouTube本周表示，将在全球范围内将其视频质量从高清降至标清。迪士尼把该公司将在法国上线的“迪士尼+”流媒体服务延后了两周。微软的Xbox也要求游戏公司只在特定时间推出在线更新和新版本，以防止网络拥堵。

Internet service providers like comcast，Vodafone，Verizon and Telefonica have been building out their networks for years to account for increasing demand。But company officials said they had never seen such a steep，sudden surge。Growth that the industry had expected to take a year is happening over days，said Enrique Blanco，the chief technology officer at Telefonica，a Spanish telecommunications company。

康卡斯特、沃达丰、威瑞森和西班牙电信等互联网服务提供商多年来一直在扩建自己的网络，以满足日益增长的需求。但这些公司的管理人士表示从未见过如此突然的大幅上涨。西班牙电信公司的首席技术官恩里克·布兰科说，电信行业原本预计需要一年的增长在几天内就实现了。

So much traffic and stress on internet networks has slowed the speed of downloading web pages and apps，according to Ookla。“Congestion is higher，”said Adriane Blum，an Ookla spokeswoman。“We’re all at home，and the activities we’re doing in this unprecedented time are not low-bandwidth usage，which means a lot of activity on a network。”

欧科拉方面表示，互联网上这样大的流量和压力导致了下载网页和应用程序的速度下降。“拥堵加剧了。”欧科拉的发言人阿德里安·布鲁姆说。“在这个史无前例的时期，我们的活动的带宽需求是很高的。因为我们都在家，这意味着很多活动要在网上进行。”