Is the internet ready for a remote workforce?

Coronavirus is putting remote work to the test.

Companies across sectors are implementing policies that encourage employees to work from home as the number of infections rises and sequestering spreads across the country.

Automakers such as Ford Motor and General Motors are pushing more workers to stay away from the office, and tech companies such as Google and Amazon are deploying similar strategies. Colleges and school districts across the country are shifting toward online in struction.

As the number of people depending on home internet connections rises, service reliability and download strength are more vital than ever. Can network providers keep up?

“This is very uncertain and untested,” said Dhiraj Sharma, CEO of the workplace communication platform Simpplr.

At the office, companies typically have high-bandwidth internet lines that can power large swaths of employees. “But with everyone working from home, it’s uncertain if these companies will be able to keep up with the residential bandwidth demand,” Sharma said.

For providers that can’t support the immediate impact of a remote workforce, service disruptions or temporary outages could be imminent.

Power players such as Comcast and AT&T should be able to handle an influx of workers, said Bobby Beckman, chief technology officer of the video conferencing platform LifeSize.

Thursday, Comcast and AT&T responded to the coronavirus threat by loosening restrictions and improving internet speeds as “social distancing” leads more people to videoconferences and communication software.

“As our country continues to manage the COVID-19 emergency, we recognize our company plays an important role in helping our customers stay connected,” Comcast said in a statement.

The capability of remote work software platforms is being put to the test as COVID-19 disrupts daily life.

The videoconferencing platform Zoom routes web traffic to 17 of its data centers sprinkled around the globe. The company said its service was built to withstand double its daily average of users.

“In the case of an unprecedented, massive influx of demand, we have the ability to access and deploy tens of thousands of additional servers within hours,” Zoom said in a statement.