i2Coalition Survey on the Impact of COVID-19 on Internet Infrastructure Providers

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused devastation around the world, and many have reacted to the situation with bravery and heroics. It has forced us to change our lives in many unprecedented ways and put new pressures on industries to adapt, including the Internet infrastructure industry.

In April 2020, we collected responses the industry on how they’ve been dealing with this crisis.

We found the following top-line trends:

Strong revenues amid the pandemic shows the resilience of the Internet infrastructure industry: The majority of respondents said that revenue has been either unchanged or grown, since measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 were implemented. While this may seem unsurprising given that much commercial and recreational activity has gone online over the past weeks, it also speaks to the industry’s ability to scale to meet the massively increased demand.

Essential staff still have access to data centers: So far, most companies relying on data center access have faced few restrictions on their staff accessing these facilities. Some mentioned more paperwork, restrictions, and administrative complications but nothing that has caused major operational difficulties yet. Companies who own their own data center have faced fewer restrictions than companies who lease colocation space in a third-party facility.

As many businesses struggle, Internet infrastructure providers are in a position to help: Rather than cut off customers whose industries are being disrupted, many Internet infrastructure companies are finding ways to help their IT remain operational by reducing rates, postponing payments, and working with various partners to offer discounts and other programs for customers who have been negatively impacted. Some companies have even used this time to expand their services.

To find out more, please download the report: