Data usage

[Yeahha]

Just out of curiosity how much data usage do you use monthly? I'm around 13 GB monthly, in November 2010 hit my all time high of 20 GB in 1 billing cycle.

 

[gvillager]

2 GB last month which is an all time high for me. Thats only because I started following someones Youtube channel and they post rather long videos. I've started to get bored with the channel so I quit watching it and usage will probably go back to my normal 1 GB/month.

 

[Knewz]

Just out of curiosity how much data usage do you use monthly? I'm around 13 GB monthly, in November 2010 hit my all time high of 20 GB in 1 billing cycle.

Prepare to be throttled(down) lol

 

[kyler13]

Prepare to be throttled(down) lol

LOL - no kidding! Probably a guarantee that 13GB average is in the top 5%. A heavy month for me is hitting 2GB. In all fairness, I do a lot of data usage at home over wi-fi. Actually, it looks like I've been averaging ~800MB/month over the last several.

 

[Yeahha]

Prepare to be throttled(down) lol

I was prepared however found out the throttling ifs only for new contracts signed on or after 2/3/2011. I'm grandfathered into no throttle. I'm most likely on the top .05%

 

[Dakota - Tom]

I'm just glad you don't live near me...

 

[Yeahha]

I'm just glad you don't live near me...

Most my data use is done between 2 and 6 in the morning, I listen to podcasts and audiobooks all day, due to my super demanding job...working right now as a matter of fact, turns out 40+ hours of audio weekly eats up data use. If I were to stop this habit my data use would be much lower more likely around 2-3 GB weekly.

 

[IOWA]

Most my data use is done between 2 and 6 in the morning, I listen to podcasts and audiobooks all day, due to my super demanding job...working right now as a matter of fact, turns out 40+ hours of audio weekly eats up data use. If I were to stop this habit my data use would be much lower more likely around 2-3 GB weekly.

Ever hear of an MP3? Lol....

Even still. If your streaming audio, at let's say 128k bytes per second. (Anything higher would most likely cause too much buffering, plus you'd have to find a provider that streams higher quality!)

So 40 hours = 2,400 minutes = 144,000 seconds.

144,000 seconds x 128kbytes per second = 18.432 Gigabytes. Per week. So yeah, I'd say it eats up some data use. This is exactly why throttling/data caps are such a step in the wrong direction.

And no, you are not exempt from data throttling. Your still exceeding the original 5gb softcap they put in place, therefore they have every right to throttle/terminate you should they choose to.

 

[Dakota - Tom]

... This is exactly why throttling/data caps are such a step in the wrong direction. ...

Please elaborate.

 

[Yeahha]

Ever hear of an MP3? Lol....

Even still. If your streaming audio, at let's say 128k bytes per second. (Anything higher would most likely cause too much buffering, plus you'd have to find a provider that streams higher quality!)

So 40 hours = 2,400 minutes = 144,000 seconds.

144,000 seconds x 128kbytes per second = 18.432 Gigabytes. Per week. So yeah, I'd say it eats up some data use. This is exactly why throttling/data caps are such a step in the wrong direction.

And no, you are not exempt from data throttling. Your still exceeding the original 5gb softcap they put in place, therefore they have every right to throttle/terminate you should they choose to.

I have yet to be told by anyone at vzw my data use ifs too high. I have even talked to someone about it. I've been on the same data plan for years prior to getting a smartphone and there is a reason they ar ranked high in customer service. Just checked my contact both print and digital and see no reference to a 5 GB soft cap. Also podcast audio is way lower quality than music. It is more like talk radio so making it a 128 kb/s feed would be over kill

 

[IOWA]

Please elaborate.

Just like computers, as phones get more and more powerful, the need/want for more bandwidth becomes more intense. We are finaly able to do things that require more and more bandwidth. Imagine if they implemented these very same bandwidth caps when broadband first got introduced. Think we'd have half of the inventions, innovations, and all the technology we love today if companies like AOL billed by the hour or by the byte?

 

[Dakota - Tom]

...companies like AOL billed by the hour or by the byte?

Actually, they used to.

 

[Knewz]

lol yeah they did... i remember stocking up on AOL demo disk so when i ran out of time, just pop another one in.

 

[IOWA]

Actually, they used to.

I know, that's why I made the reference.

 

[Clementine_3]

i remember stocking up on AOL demo disk.

Ah, those were the days!

 

[PSkeptic]

Actually, they used to.

They never billed in data, just time. CompuServe was the same way... I remember $5/hour for 1200 bps access. And that was their "top-tier" connection. 300 bps was only $3.75/hr.

 

[Dakota - Tom]

Current home broadband suppliers (e.g. DSL) provide service "tiers" by speed of the connection. This probably varies by region, I suppose. Wireless providers are trying different approaches... speed, unlimited with throttling, and data limits. As the technology matures, things will settle down, but in the meantime, they will charge what is needed to make money (minimum) or what the market will bear (maximum). The cellular-based broadband has considerable value above your home service and/or wifi hot-spots due to its portability. It is hardly surprising that providers are seeking ways to turn that perceived value into $$.