According to Gartner, the upcoming flu season means that many people may be working in their living room or away from the office for extended periods of time.
As a result, there could be surges in internet usage and networks are likely to be as busy during the day as they are at peak evening times.
Eric Paulak, managing vice-president at Gartner, said: "Within the switching office, surges in demand will overload the local connection to the backbone networks, because carriers typically do not design for excess residential capacity."
He added that although providers think their networks can handle the increase, he has some doubts about the situation.
In related news, Gartner recently revealed that many PC vendors are now viewing the blossoming smartphone market as an opportunity and area for growth.
