Stir spikes net usage at Marina Beach

CHENNAI: Mobile telecom service providers have recorded a significant spike in data usage on and near Marina Beach this week, even as the numbers swelled in support of the protest in Chennai to lift of the ban on the traditional bull-taming sport of jallikattu.
Service providers said one of the major reasons for the large increase in web usage near the primary protest site was due to sharing of information via social media.
State-run telecom giant BSNL recorded a substantial increase in data usage of around 45% and private player Aircel reported a data traffic surge of 16%. BSNL sources said data usage at Marina Beach doubled from the usual 7GB to 14GB on Wednesday.
“Data usage of each of the 11 BSNL 2G and 3G towers in government buildings between University of Madras and the DGP’s office [2.5km apart on Kamarajar Salai] increased sharply since Kaanum Pongal on Monday,” Chennai Telephones general manager (planning and operations) D M Bhaskar said. “We recorded 10GB data usage on the stretch on Monday. This increased to 12GB on Tuesday and reached a peak of 14GB on Wednesday.”
BSNL posted its peak usage between 7pm and 11pm on Wednesday.
Officials with the state-owned firm said the last time they witnessed such an upward spiral in demand from the towers was on December 6, during the funeral of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
An Aircel spokesman said the firm witnessed a 16% surge in data traffic over the same days of the previous week and a rise of 32% in voice traffic over the same period.
(With inputs from Ranjani.Ayyar@timesgroup.com)