Trying to Wean Britons From Unlimited Mobile Data

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/te...temail1=y&_r=0

BERLIN — When the mobile operator EE started selling the first high-speed LTE wireless broadband service in Britain last autumn, it offered only packages with strict monthly limits on downloading data, effectively tying the volume of Web surfing to the price.

But whether EE, a joint venture of Deutsche Telekom and France Télécom, will succeed by marketing fiat alone in killing off access to unlimited wireless data in Britain remains to be seen.
The country’s mobile market is one of the most competitive in Europe, with four network operators, as well as resellers like Virgin Mobile and Tesco Mobile.

But the decision by EE, the biggest mobile operator in Britain, to phase out unlimited packages has drawn blunt criticism. The online journal Endgadget said British customers would have to “sign away a kidney” for the company’s LTE plans.
Reading the public mood has been difficult, and most of EE’s competitors seem unsure whether Britons, already coping with a government austerity plan, are ready to embrace new limits on mobile surfing as well.

Seems traffic shaping is everywhere these days..

[denphone]

It seems the way it is going these days we are paying more for everything but are getting less bang for our buck it seems.

[Qtx]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/te...temail1=y&_r=0

Seems traffic shaping is everywhere these days..

Traffic shaping and limits are different things. All mobile operators shape traffic and give priority to some.

Data limits is another thing and unless you must have everything new or show off to your friends, it makes no sense for large mobile data users to go to an expensive 4G limited data tariff. Three's advanced 3G network gives speeds that are easily good enough for most uses at the moment.

My worry is Three decides to go the limited way too with 4G plans eventually. At the moment they are the only unlimited data mobile carrier.

[cookie_365]

No they're not. Giffgaff do unlimited data.

[Qtx]

Originally Posted by cookie_365

No they're not. Giffgaff do unlimited data.

Wasn't aware GiffGaff were unlimited. The last time I looked at them they had restrictions set in their FUP, similar to how Virgins Unlimited Mobile actualy had a limit of 10GB.

Would be interesting to know if that has changed. GiffGaff is rarely mentioned as its not one of the main mobile operators but if they can offer truly unlimited mobile data with their size, then it shows that the bigger operators should be able too as well.

[Hom3r]

T-Mobile do unlimited, as I'm going for it when my contract needs updating in June.

[Qtx]

No FUP limits on T-Mobile either?

One thing I noticed when looking around 5 months ago is that some providers advertise data amounts but it only applies to mobile data, not tethered data. Worth double checking if you plan to use it that way.

Another thing to check is if they slow you down after x amount of data. Virgin used to (not sure if they still do) slow you down to 3g speeds for the rest if the month. Three also slow you down if you are an extreme user but only until the end of the week.

Always double check TOC, Fair Usage Policy and forums to get the truth.

[cookie_365]

Originally Posted by Qtx

Wasn't aware GiffGaff were unlimited. The last time I looked at them they had restrictions set in their FUP, similar to how Virgins Unlimited Mobile actualy had a limit of 10GB.

Would be interesting to know if that has changed. GiffGaff is rarely mentioned as its not one of the main mobile operators but if they can offer truly unlimited mobile data with their size, then it shows that the bigger operators should be able too as well.

Giffgaff don't have a fair use policy. It's unlimited.

Giffgaff is 1GB per hour, if you constantly go over that they ban you, taken from customers on their own forums.

(~6 month old information, they may have changed since I've left)

[Qtx]

Originally Posted by cookie_365

Giffgaff don't have a fair use policy. It's unlimited.

Had a quick look at their forums and they are nowhere near unlimited. Seems they ban users who use over 1 GB an hour or 3GB a day, while at the same time calling it unlimited lol.

Their own acceptable use page backs this up: http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Blo...e/ba-p/5528298

---------- Post added at 00:42 ---------- Previous post was at 00:41 ----------

Originally Posted by Jameseh

Giffgaff is 1GB per hour, if you constantly go over that they ban you, taken from customers on their own forums.

(~6 month old information, they may have changed since I've left)

Damnit, you posted while I was reading/replying!

---------- Post added at 00:49 ---------- Previous post was at 00:42 ----------

Had a look on t-mobiles site for FUP etc and it is a maze of links to different sites and all over the place before you get to any actual meaningful description of t&c's. Even though I found them, I don't actually trust them due to the route taken and what I have known of them data wise in the past

OUR FAIR USE POLICY ON DATA

We want all our customers to benefit from the improvements to our network, if someone in your area is using an excessive amount of data it means you could experience a lower speed as a result.

We monitor the data usage of every customer who has data access and fair usage specified in the terms of their plan. If a customer consumes data above the monthly fair use limit, and in a way that we consider extreme, we may reduce their connection speeds for a limited time. This will only affect a small number of people, and we will always warn them by text before the speed is reduced. This only applies to non-Business tariffs.

[Jayster]

GiffGaff's policy is setup to target people wanting to tether etc. From my research I believe Three are similar but have not published any specifics. Having used unlimited data on both I find it hard to come anywhere close to these limits using only my phone.

Originally Posted by denphone

It seems the way it is going these days we are paying more for everything but are getting less bang for our buck it seems.

I disagree, I've just signed upto a 12 month half price offer from virginmedia, I'm paying a lot less for a lot more.. It's good for Virgnmedia as they're guaranteed a happy customer even if the service is ropey.

Originally Posted by Bogof

I disagree, I've just signed upto a 12 month half price offer from virginmedia, I'm paying a lot less for a lot more.. It's good for Virgnmedia as they're guaranteed a happy customer even if the service is ropey.

Probably because you were paying over the odds to begin with.

[cookie_365]

Originally Posted by Qtx

Had a quick look at their forums and they are nowhere near unlimited. Seems they ban users who use over 1 GB an hour or 3GB a day, while at the same time calling it unlimited lol.

Their own acceptable use page backs this up: http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Blo...e/ba-p/5528298

Read it again.

They don't ban people who go over 1GB/hour or 3GB/day.

If you hit that amount they might ask you to confirm that you're not tethering, and if you confirm you're not, you can carry on and fill your boots.

Originally Posted by Jameseh

Probably because you were paying over the odds to begin with.

I'm a new customer so I weren't paying anything before.