Media-services provider Netflix Pte. Ltd. agreed to cut its traffic in the Philippines during the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, according to the National Telecommunications Commission.
The Internet television giant moved to cut traffic in the country after the NTC requested Netflix to work with the government and telecommunication partners by “effectively and efficiently managing its streaming bitrate to ease data congestion for the duration of the enhanced community quarantine. “
“The measure will help free-up bandwidth as the increased demand by subscribers may risk overloading network capacity during the quarantine period,” the NTC said.
The agency said data consumption was expected to surge because of the work-from-home arrangements and increased government, private and education demands.
Netflix agreed to the measure and “conveyed solidarity and support to the Philippine government’s efforts, recognizing that the internet should continue to run smoothly at this time.”
Netflix said it developed a way to reduce traffic on the telecommunication networks by 25 percent while maintaining the quality of service.
The company said consumers should continue to get the quality that comes with their plan—whether ultrahigh, high or standard definition.
Netflix’s move will provide significant relief to congested networks for the next 30 days, according to the company.