AT&T Begins Warning High-Volume Data Users of Upcoming Throttling

[srxtr]

Try telling that to someone who lives in San Francisco or New York. Heavy data users are concentrated in the major urban areas, as one would expect. Capping their bandwidth could certainly make a difference.

I've been to San Francisco. 9 out of 10 people I run into use an iPhone, I can totally see why the network is congested there.

 

[iLeoMarc]

My only issue with this move by AT&T is the lack of transparency. How are we as users suppose to know if we really are in the top 5% group? Is the bar set based on a moving monthly average to determine the 5% group? Or is another formula used be it moving 3 month average or even a pre-determined data cap? What happens when over time, data usage increases due to more iOS features which require data (voice control, widgets etc.), does this causes averages to change or if its a predetermined amount of data (8gb or whatever it may be) is the 5% group going to grow?

Is AT&T using internal measuring tools, or is an outside group available to audit such a claim by AT&T that we are in the 5% group?

 

[h0mi]

I hit 2.4 gb of downloads this month. This stems from:

-Downloading app updates
-Streaming youtube videos, at least a half hour every day
-Web browsing, retrieving emails, twitter, foursquare

My phone is not JB'ed (so I'm not tethering). Usually my data consumption has been well under 2gb (between 800mb and 1.2gb) but this month I guess I overdid it on youtube. I haven't gotten a text from AT&T on my unlimited plan yet and I'm going to go on a limb and guess maybe you need to do this sort of data consumption for longer than part of a billing cycle before getting a warning? I'd say if you downloaded 3 hours worth of videos daily, that's probably a good way to hit 5gb or more.

 

[toddybody]

Unlimited should mean unlimited...but I understand the negative impact heavy users may have on the infrastructure. Why not just charge EVERYONE a flat $10.00 per GB(and cancel the unlimited accounts)? Normal users would get great value, and the heavy users would pay accordingly.

... or AT&T could just be cool and offer everyone unlimited data like they used to...and stop being such miserly douches. Just a thought

 

[larrybeo]

About Time!

Yes these people should pay more that is absurd usage. What are you doing with 11GB a month? Are you trying to tell me that you aren't violating AT&Ts service agreement? What the hay to to think I'm paying the same amount of money as you are is farcical. Good job AT&T!

 

[srxtr]

I hit 2.4 gb of downloads this month. This stems from:

-Downloading app updates
-Streaming youtube videos, at least a half hour every day
-Web browsing, retrieving emails, twitter, foursquare

My phone is not JB'ed (so I'm not tethering). Usually my data consumption has been well under 2gb (between 800mb and 1.2gb) but this month I guess I overdid it on youtube. I haven't gotten a text from AT&T on my unlimited plan yet and I'm going to go on a limb and guess maybe you need to do this sort of data consumption for longer than part of a billing cycle before getting a warning? I'd say if you downloaded 3 hours worth of videos daily, that's probably a good way to hit 5gb or more.

With the quality of data going up (e.g. HD video, new file format support, average app size) we start using more data per month. With AT&T restricting us more over time, I can see this being a problem.

 

[mcfly2]

Dude, you need to back up a few pages and read a bit...

Nobody with a brain is arguing for infinite. We're asking for no AT&T imposed limits. The real world limits are *not* what this discussion is about. I've even defended that point.

Believe it or not I've read this entire thread. You keep arguing that any kind of 'limit' means that the unlimited plan is not really unlimited. To me there's no difference between the physical limits of the network and any kind of load balancing that ATT needs to do to maintain the integrity of the network. With my unlimited plan, I've always understood that it would never be literally unlimited.

 

[srxtr]

Unlimited should mean unlimited...but I understand the negative impact heavy users may have on the infrastructure. Why not just charge EVERYONE a flat $10.00 per GB(and cancel the unlimited accounts)? Normal users would get great value, and the heavy users would pay accordingly.

... or AT&T could just be cool and offer everyone unlimited data like they used to...and stop being such miserly douches. Just a thought

I would love a flat fee per GB. Preferably $5 though, I think that's more fair.

----------

...To me there's no difference between the physical limits of the network and any kind of load balancing that ATT needs to do to maintain the integrity of the network. With my unlimited plan, I've always understood that it would never be literally unlimited.

That's the thing. Rather than AT&T improving the network to accommodate heavy users and new customers, they limit the heavy users and piling on new restrictions as they sign up more customers.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Throttling high users this way makes no sense to me. If they are only going to do it to those that DL 11+GB / mo. And it takes them 3.5 weeks to do that, then AT&T is only freeing up bandwidth for what, half a week of the month?

Not everyone's billing date is the first of the month. The throttled users will be spread out relatively randomly/evenly, so the benefit will be seen at all times.

 

[aristotle]

I would love a flat fee per GB. Preferably $5 though, I think that's more fair.

----------



That's the thing. Rather than AT&T improving the network to accommodate heavy users and new customers, they limit the heavy users and piling on new restrictions as they sign up more customers.

You cannot change the laws of physics. No amount of "upgrades" to infrastructure will give you unlimited capacity to a cellular phone tower. So-called "unlimited" data just means that you do not have a hard limit that if you go over results in more charges. Anyone using their cell phone as their main ISP is abusing their service and should have a wired ISP for that purpose at home. Why? Because wireless access uses a shared connection and shared towers with no expectation of a guaranteed connection whereas wired connections are generally not shared but rather dedicated and always on.

 

[Jfondren3]

Well this thread has inspired me to see just how much data I can use. My phone is not jail broken so I can't tether and I am already ten days into my billing cycle. I can't use my phone at work either so given those issues, we will see how much I can use. Then I will just have to try and beat it next month.

 

[Moof1904]

People can argue all they want about the drain on the infrastructure from the top-using 5% but nothing anyone says here will convince me that this situation is anything except the following:

• ATT, just like many other companies tasked with maintaining an service providing infrastructure, has chosen profits over reinvestment for a number of years
• they continually market and advertise to grow their customer base and when their neglected infrastructure can't handle the demands of expected customer base increase, they scream "foul" and make a money grab, in violation of the spirit of the very promises they made to attract customers

 

[miles01110]

People can argue all they want about the drain on the infrastructure from the top-using 5% but nothing anyone says here will convince me that this situation is anything except the following:

• ATT, just like many other companies tasked with maintaining an service providing infrastructure, has chosen profits over reinvestment for a number of years
• they continually market and advertise to grow their customer base and when their neglected infrastructure can't handle the demands of expected customer base increase, they scream "foul" and make a money grab, in violation of the spirit of the very promises they made to attract customers

Nobody cares if you are convinced or not. Complaining about the reality of the situation isn't going to do you any good. And in all likelyhood it won't even affect you.

 

[something3153]

1. AT&T sold, and people purchased an "Unlimited" data plan under the pretenses that it is in fact unlimited based on the capabilities of the network (3G). As such, you were sold that you would get 3G speeds with no data cap. I did not buy an unlimited plan knowing that I might be throttled, capped, etc. If I sign up for unlimited phone call usage, but then a year into it, I am now limited to when I can make those calls, then the initial perceived terms have changed. Additionally, the fact that AT&T did NOT throttle before, meant that it was an unlimited plan as it was intended. It is simple bait and switch. They used deceitful tactics to get me in the door and to sign up, then later and under contract, they change the terms based on a vague statement of "Fair Use" (who determines what is fair? the accountants and executives trying to watch their bottom dollar?). If AT&T doesn't want me using this plan as it was initially rolled out, then they should do away with it, call it something other than Unlimited, and go from there. Charging an absence amount of $10/GB however, is not what I perceive to be a fair option. Nor is paying $30/mo for family texting... I pay $170/mo to AT&T for the 300 combined minutes myself and my wife use (we have a total of I think 700). AND, the only option to decrease my bill, is to cut my available minutes in half for a $10 savings. Its completely profit driven.

You are only paying for the month's access you just used. AT&T is under no obligation to grandfather ANYONE into their old unlimited plans after the original contract is over. Assuming your initial contract is over, they could tell you that your next billing cycle you have your choice of the 250mb or 2gb plans, or going to another provider, and legally, you'd have no recourse.

As for your last sentence that I quoted, why are people here so bitter about anyone but Apple making a profit? Last I checked, Apple's cash reserves were bragged about, not used as an excuse to complain that they should start lowering their prices.

 

[azilko]

9to5mac speculates that the cap will be at 2-4GB... I can imagine that it would be pretty easy to go over that w/ iCloud on the way.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

2. Throttling high users this way makes no sense to me. If they are only going to do it to those that DL 11+GB / mo. And it takes them 3.5 weeks to do that, then AT&T is only freeing up bandwidth for what, half a week of the month? AND as most people here will likely admit, they don't notice any difference between week 3 and week 4 of each month, what good is this doing?

Remember billing days are spread out pretty evenly. When a new customer signs up they mess with the billing date there to keep the load pretty spread out. So at any given moment in time it will be roughly the same percentage of people being throttled.

The billing days are spread out like that for a more even cash flow but has other bonuses as well.

9to5mac speculates that the cap will be at 2-4GB... I can imagine that it would be pretty easy to go over that w/ iCloud on the way.

Why do people seem to think that? iCloud is really not going to spike your data usage. What you are stating is repeating and spreading FUD.
Will iCloud increase data usage a little yes. Will it has any big effect hell no. If it increases someone average usage by more than 10-15 megs a month I would honestly be surprised.
Also if you really are worried Apple will have an option in there to allow syncing ONLY over wifi. That is one of those basic options that will be in there.

 

[mcfly2]

People can argue all they want about the drain on the infrastructure from the top-using 5% but nothing anyone says here will convince me that this situation is anything except the following:

• ATT, just like many other companies tasked with maintaining an service providing infrastructure, has chosen profits over reinvestment for a number of years
• they continually market and advertise to grow their customer base and when their neglected infrastructure can't handle the demands of expected customer base increase, they scream "foul" and make a money grab, in violation of the spirit of the very promises they made to attract customers

Yes, ATT is a company that's out to make the maximum amount of profit that they can. Most companies are like that. They only have to provide a service that's equal or better than the competition. If they don't do that for you, you're free to go elsewhere. Regarding my unlimited plan, I don't feel that they've violated any promises they made to me.

 

[azilko]

Remember billing days are spread out pretty evenly. When a new customer signs up they mess with the billing date there to keep the load pretty spread out. So at any given moment in time it will be roughly the same percentage of people being throttled.

The billing days are spread out like that for a more even cash flow but has other bonuses as well.

Yeah, I had not thought about the fact that everyone is on a different billing cycle.

Why do people seem to think that? iCloud is really not going to spike your data usage. What you are stating is repeating and spreading FUD.
Will iCloud increase data usage a little yes. Will it has any big effect hell no. If it increases someone average usage by more than 10-15 megs a month I would honestly be surprised.
Also if you really are worried Apple will have an option in there to allow syncing ONLY over wifi. That is one of those basic options that will be in there.

How do you specifically know my (or anyones) usage for iCloud? If I upload all my photos, music, and video to iCloud, then access them regularly, upload data back and forth to it, there is no question that the usage will increase. 10-15 megs??!? So you suggesting that one would only listen to 2-3 songs in a given month? I can guarantee that the average iCloud user would use more than that.

The point is, more and more is being made available over 3G as a way to incorporate more usage out of our phones. It will become increasingly easier to hit these AT&T set caps.

 

[westy310]

Y'all are missing the point

Y'all are missing the point. The days of "unlimited data plans" are over. Any caterwauling about that is totally, 100% wasted time.

No matter the product or service, "unlimited usage for one low price" only works under either of two conditions, or a combination of the two:

(1) There are limitations, external or internal, ensuring that the heaviest users are not much more of a drain than the average user. Examples: Netflix disc service is limited by the speed of snail mail. Health clubs are limited by the number of hours in a week. All-you-can-eat buffets are limited by the human body; even a sumo wrestler is only going to eat two or three times as much as an average eater.

(2) Additional revenue is somehow generated from the heaviest users. Examples: Basic cable/satellite TV, where the 100-hours-a-week user is subjected to ten times as many commercials as the 10-hour-a-week user. Magazine subscriptions, where the cover-to-cover reader is subjected to every ad, while the casual skimmer is not. Theme park season passes, where the heaviest users spend piles of money on parking, food, etc..

Do you see the problem here? "Unlimited smartphone data for a low price" is just not viable because it fits neither of the above conditions. It might have been a couple of years ago, when smartphone data usage consisted almost entirely of browsing static Web pages, i.e. Condition #1 was met, but not now. Not with users streaming music over Pandora all day. Certainly not with users streaming high-quality video on YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, NBC, etc. And absolutely, positively not with users canceling their home broadband and cable, and using a jailbroken smartphone as a home wi-fi hotspot, streaming all of the above to numerous other devices.

We're past the point where all-you-can-eat is viable. And you should be thankful - it means smartphones are far past the days when "The Wireless Web" consisted of pathetic, stripped-down versions of Yahoo and ESPN.

Hogs will pay more, as it should be. Just like with water, power, and gas. Hey, you with the long vanpool commute who watches Netflix in HD the whole time, consuming more data in an hour than I do in several days? You *should* pay more than I do. I shouldn't have to pay the same as you any more than I should have to pay the same power bill as someone who has nine refrigerators, a hot tub, and is at home all day with lights and space heaters running in every room.

 

[russurquhart1]

Does grandfathering still work?

Hi,I have a first gen iPhone, under the old unlimited plan. If i get a new iPhone5, can i keep my unlimited plan? Is there anything special i have to do to do that? Do i lose it, if i sign up for a new plan?

Any help is greatly appreciated as my iPhone is growing dead pixels.

Thanks,


Russ

 

[mcfly2]

Y'all are missing the point. The days of "unlimited data plans" are over. Any caterwauling about that is totally, 100% wasted time.

So is everyone who has posted in this thread missing the point? I think you're the one missing the point. Nobody is arguing about the validity of unlimited data plans, especially since they're no longer even offered. The argument is about whether ATT is violating contracts with this data throttling.

 

[TheReverendZ]

TheReverendZ here

First.
I don't tether or jailbreak.
Second.
I don't stream pornography to my mobile device.
Third.
Here is what I do that racks up the data:
I use Scanner Pro to upload all important receipts and documents to Google Docs.
I upload my photos and videos directly from my iPhone to two image services.
I watch an hour or two of Netflix, YouTube, or PBS video as I am falling asleep.
I stream music from Google Music.
I use Reeder to browse about 30 RSS feeds.
I use Alien Blue to browse / post to Reddit.
I watch Al Jazeera news.
I use Dropbox and Evernote
I have 4 email accounts that I receive mail through.

That's how I reach my 10 -12 GB per month.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

How do you specifically know my (or anyones) usage for iCloud? If I upload all my photos, music, and video to iCloud, then access them regularly, upload data back and forth to it, there is no question that the usage will increase. 10-15 megs??!? So you suggesting that one would only listen to 2-3 songs in a given month? I can guarantee that the average iCloud user would use more than that.

The point is, more and more is being made available over 3G as a way to incorporate more usage out of our phones. It will become increasingly easier to hit these AT&T set caps.

How do I know this increase will be so little.

First off the song you listen to the most often will still be stored on your phone because it is better for battery usage and sound quality and streaming wise chances are they will pull form their own library instead of something like Pandora so net change is little.
Also remember for streaming music you have to pay money for that right so it is not free. Most people are not going to pay for that service when there are multiple free ones out there.

Phone uploads yeah that will be some but still not a large amount. Most phones are not that large in file size and that is assuming that there is not a reduction factor a little in the file. Either way not a big deal.

 

[srxtr]

First.
I don't tether or jailbreak.
Second.
I don't stream pornography to my mobile device.
Third.
Here is what I do that racks up the data:
I use Scanner Pro to upload all important receipts and documents to Google Docs.
I upload my photos and videos directly from my iPhone to two image services.
I watch an hour or two of Netflix, YouTube, or PBS video as I am falling asleep.
I stream music from Google Music.
I use Reeder to browse about 30 RSS feeds.
I use Alien Blue to browse / post to Reddit.
I watch Al Jazeera news.
I use Dropbox and Evernote
I have 4 email accounts that I receive mail through.

That's how I reach my 10 -12 GB per month.

And "unlimited" implies that you should be able to do all that as much as you want.

I share HQ photos and junk all the time via my iPhone, but I'm luckily always on WIFI, even though I have the unlimited plan.

If I ever moved to a place that didn't have WIFI readily available everywhere, then it'd be a problem for me too.

Edit: I totally forgot about Dropbox. That thing will pretty much use up all your data.

 

[mcfly2]

First.
I don't tether or jailbreak.
Second.
I don't stream pornography to my mobile device.
Third.
Here is what I do that racks up the data:
I use Scanner Pro to upload all important receipts and documents to Google Docs.
I upload my photos and videos directly from my iPhone to two image services.
I watch an hour or two of Netflix, YouTube, or PBS video as I am falling asleep.
I stream music from Google Music.
I use Reeder to browse about 30 RSS feeds.
I use Alien Blue to browse / post to Reddit.
I watch Al Jazeera news.
I use Dropbox and Evernote
I have 4 email accounts that I receive mail through.

That's how I reach my 10 -12 GB per month.

Just curious, what are your circumstances where you don't have wifi to do some of this?