According to Cisco's (NASDAQ:CSCO) Visual Networking Index, global IP traffic will increase nearly three-fold over the next five years due to more Internet users and devices, faster broadband speeds and more video viewing. Global IP traffic for fixed and mobile connections is expected to reach an annual run rate of 1.6 zettabytes. The projected annual IP traffic for 2018 will be greater than all IP traffic that has been generated globally from 1984-2013 (1.3 zettabytes).

The composition of IP traffic is expected to shift in the next few years. During the forecast period, the majority of traffic is expected to originate from devices other than personal computers (PCs) for the first time in the history of the Internet. WiFi traffic is expected to exceed wired traffic for the first time, and HD video is expected to generate more traffic than SD video.