Which of the following is a common sign of network congestion?

Network congestion typically occurs when the demand for network resources exceeds the available capacity, leading to multiple symptoms that indicate potential issues with data flow. Slow network speeds are a primary sign of this congestion. When too many users are trying to send or receive data simultaneously or when there is heavy traffic on the network, the overall performance degrades, which manifests as slow page loads, delays in file transfers, and lagging applications.

This condition results from packet loss, increased latency, and queuing delays, all of which contribute to inefficient data transmission. As the network becomes congested, the devices experience difficulty in sending and receiving data promptly, thus causing a slowdown.

In contrast, increased bandwidth usage, rapid data transfer rates, and enhanced connectivity stability are not indicative of network congestion. Increased bandwidth usage could suggest effective utilization of network resources, rapid data transfer rates are typically a sign of good performance, and enhanced connectivity stability indicates that the network is functioning smoothly. Therefore, slow network speeds stand out as a clear and common sign of network congestion.