Internet usage in the UK is growing so fast we could soon be without reliable connections at all, according to a new study.
Experts will inform the Royal Society later this week that internet access will need to be restricted or rationed so everyone is able to continue using it, because demand is doubling every four years, which is resulting in great pressure on power and communications networks.
Andrew Ellis, professor of optical communications at Aston University, told the Sunday Times: "The internet is already consuming at least 8 per cent of Britain's power output, equivalent to the output of three nuclear power stations, and demand is soaring.
"It is growing so fast, currently at an exponential rate, that, in theory, it could be using all the UK power generation by 2035. We cannot make all that extra power, so we will have to restrict or reduce access, perhaps by metering consumers so they pay for what they use."
By the end of the decade, optical cables and switches will reach their capacity, meaning an internet blackout could be on the cards if nothing is done to relieve the pressure on infrastructure.
To improve systems, consumers must be prepared to pay more for their services, or risk not being able to use high-speed internet at all.
Andrew Lord, head of optical access at BT, said: "It's the first time we have had to worry about optical fibres actually filling up. We could expand the network by laying more cables but the economics of that do not work and it would increase power consumption."
He also claimed the time it would take to lay these cables would not be feasible. "If we don't fix this then in 10 years time the internet could have to cost more," he said.
