Back in early 2020, most people thought of their internet connection as something that simply “worked in the background”. It was mainly for emails, a bit of browsing, and perhaps Netflix in the evening. Fast forward a few years, and internet usage has quietly but fundamentally changed.

The biggest shift has been how critical connectivity has become. Working from home moved from being a rare perk to a normal part of working life for many businesses. Video calls, cloud systems, remote desktops and online collaboration tools are now everyday essentials rather than occasional extras. What once felt demanding is now routine.

Streaming has also evolved. It’s no longer just one TV in the lounge. Many households now have multiple devices streaming simultaneously, often in higher resolutions. Add online gaming, smart TVs, doorbells, cameras, heating controls and voice assistants, and the background demand never really drops.

Upload speeds matter far more than they used to. Before 2020, most people barely noticed upload performance. Today, video calls, sending large files, cloud backups and CCTV systems all rely heavily on a stable upstream connection. This is where older connections often struggle.

Reliability has quietly overtaken headline speed. Customers are less impressed by big numbers and more concerned about consistency. A rock-solid 80Mbps connection that stays up all day is often far more valuable than a faster service that drops out or suffers from high latency.

There’s also been a growing awareness of resilience. Businesses in particular have realised how vulnerable they are to a single connection. Secondary lines, mobile backups and failover solutions are now common discussions rather than niche considerations.

Perhaps the biggest change of all is expectation. Internet access is now viewed in the same way as electricity or water. When it isn’t there, everything stops. That quiet shift in mindset has reshaped what customers really value from their provider: clarity, honesty, local support and a service that simply works when it’s needed.

The technology may keep changing, but one thing is clear — internet demand didn’t just increase after 2020, it matured.

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