LTE = Overage

[milan03]

Of course LTE will enable you to use more data. It's created to enable apps to deliver rich media experience, similar to home broadband. If you used to stream spotify or pandora on your 3G phone, now you'll be able to use high quality stream, if you used to watch YouTube standard def, now you'll wanna enjoy HD content, if you used to load a few pages on your trip to work, now you'll be able to load rich media content, and it'll take you much less time to complete your tasks.
LTE is the technology that is designed to enrich our experience, the carriers know that, and they're trying to bank on it as its so easy to make tons of money by providing the metered regime plans. Or shared data plans... It's even worse.

I've had LTE android phones since the very first thunderbolt in march 2011 and I average over 20GB just for commuting to and from work. When traveling its order of magnitude higher. And without trying. Luckily I jumped on LTE bandwagon early and kept my unlimited unthrottled Verizon LTE data.

 

[TroyBoy30]

I've always used high quality streams. Lte won't magically make me use more data unless my usage habits change.

 

[tympanik]

Not entirely true. If you compare two identical websites or apps today, then yes. I work with several developers...the apps, games, videos, audio and other files are definitely being built with faster connections and more efficient phones in mind. Files and sites will begin using more data simply by the way they are going to be developed. Think higher resolution pictures, higher definition video, and better quality sound. Apps will be higher resolution and stream higher quality. More data will be consumed.

An original Nintendo game was what, 0.5mb? What are games today?

In addition, there were things I wouldn't waste my time trying to do on 3g, but now, with the speed, I'm more likely to do those things over LTE, because the experience is as good as at home over wifi. In fact, the speeds I get on LTE, are double what I get from my home broadband. So those tasks that I would only do at home or elsewhere over wifi, I may/will do anywhere, because I can now.

 

[chakraj]

I've always used high quality streams. Lte won't magically make me use more data unless my usage habits change.

ah, grasshopper, the proof is in the pudding.





mmmmmm. did some one say pudding....

 

[Bswartz95]

The fact is, phone companies know that people will be using more data, if not today, in the near future. These tiered plans will turn into an absolute gold mine for them. In a few years, 2gb may look like nothing.

 

[milan03]

I've always used high quality streams. Lte won't magically make me use more data unless my usage habits change.

I'm certain you're about to change your usage habits. That's what LTE is made for.

 

[cwosigns]

Paying full price to keep my unlimited data plan on Verizon was so worth it.

Definitely. I've been on Verizon a long time (back when all of their dumb phones had the same, stupid red interface--what's the point in choosing a phone if it's going to have the same UI as everything else you sell?), and I paid full price for the iPhone 5 to keep my unlimited data. I already max out on my iPad now and again, but now that my phone has LTE I'm sure that will happen less. Verizon 3G is mostly horrible; I always tethered to my iPad.

 

[itjw]

I've always used high quality streams. Lte won't magically make me use more data unless my usage habits change.

But it will if you skip...

Buffering happens 10x as fast (sometimes faster) on LTE. Since most people do utilize the skip function (as evidenced by the popularity of the unlimited skip hack on jailbroken phones), buffering a song in full only to skip to the next one WILL change your usage vs. 3G (3.5G).

Video is the same way. Streaming happens faster, and if you switch programs before the end you literally just waste those extra geebees.

LTE will increase consumption. I can't fathom why people would disagree.

Even web pages will load faster, and unless you are a slooowwww reader who spends time on the same pages you will undoubtedly read and browse more too.

I feel really sorry for those on the 3GB plan. I would just use 3G, and only flick on LTE to show off (or if I was near the end of the cycle and had the room).

Something really needs to give. Even 5GB is not enough on LTE for most users. There will be some who still use less than 2, but it won't be many...

 

[TroyBoy30]

But it will if you skip...

Buffering happens 10x as fast (sometimes faster) on LTE. Since most people do utilize the skip function (as evidenced by the popularity of the unlimited skip hack on jailbroken phones), buffering a song in full only to skip to the next one WILL change your usage vs. 3G (3.5G).

Video is the same way. Streaming happens faster, and if you switch programs before the end you literally just waste those extra geebees.

LTE will increase consumption. I can't fathom why people would disagree.

Even web pages will load faster, and unless you are a slooowwww reader who spends time on the same pages you will undoubtedly read and browse more too.

I feel really sorry for those on the 3GB plan. I would just use 3G, and only flick on LTE to show off (or if I was near the end of the cycle and had the room).

Something really needs to give. Even 5GB is not enough on LTE for most users. There will be some who still use less than 2, but it won't be many...

So your trying to tell me that if I got to the same 10 web pages everyday that having lte will somehow make those 10 pages use more data? Sorry I disagree.

 

[bp1000]

We dont have LTE here in the UK yet

Obviously if your habbits dont change you wont use any more data than on 3G. Web pages, twitter, email and the odd youtube video are still the same size.

I assume you mean the sheer speed of LTE opens up the possibility to watch loads more youtube videos on cellular and you would also end up using netflix for example.

I have a grandathered unlimited tariff and even on HSDPA its still not quite good enough to use iTunes match on cellular as i dont have full coverage when im in the car.

LTE might be different though.

 

[chakraj]

We dont have LTE here in the UK yet

Obviously if your habbits dont change you wont use any more data than on 3G. Web pages, twitter, email and the odd youtube video are still the same size.

I assume you mean the sheer speed of LTE opens up the possibility to watch loads more youtube videos on cellular and you would also end up using netflix for example.

I have a grandathered unlimited tariff and even on HSDPA its still not quite good enough to use iTunes match on cellular as i dont have full coverage when im in the car.

LTE might be different though.

no they are saying the actual size of the downloads are more also, because you can download a bigger better file.

Take slingbox for example, on 3g you get a lower data lower resolution video stream, on LTE you get a larger higher def stream so the actual amount of data is much larger for the same amount of watching.

so your habits stay the same but the amount of data you use goes up considerably.

 

[Bswartz95]

So your trying to tell me that if I got to the same 10 web pages everyday that having lte will somehow make those 10 pages use more data? Sorry I disagree.

I don't think that's what he's saying. He was using video and audio as an example.

Lets say you have a 15 minute train ride to work (or just downtime in general). You can fly through more data in LTE than using 3G in killing that 15 minute time period. This is where the problem will arise.


Now, from what I understand, your 10 web pages will start to contain more pictures, videos and data that can take advantage of faster devices and higher speed networks. So in the future, yes, your 10 websites will take more data to load. Just like apps will take advantage and require more data to function.

 

[RenoG]

Now, from what I understand, your 10 web pages will start to contain more pictures, videos and data that can take advantage of faster devices and higher speed networks. So in the future, yes, your 10 websites will take more data to load. Just like apps will take advantage and require more data to function.

Yup TroyBoy this ^^^ before you were visiting 10 trimmed down web pages, on LTE you will be viewing 10 rich pages that's data-fat.

You went from V-Tech to a Twin Turbo V12.

 

[jlake02]

Totally agree with the OP.

This is why I've been VERY VERY careful to keep my grandfathered plan at any cost despite the fact I currently don't use over 1 gig/mo on 3G.

 

[pure3d2]

Definitely. I've been on Verizon a long time (back when all of their dumb phones had the same, stupid red interface--what's the point in choosing a phone if it's going to have the same UI as everything else you sell?), and I paid full price for the iPhone 5 to keep my unlimited data. I already max out on my iPad now and again, but now that my phone has LTE I'm sure that will happen less. Verizon 3G is mostly horrible; I always tethered to my iPad.

I noticed this too back in those days. I kept telling people about it and they all thought I was completely insane. One day, I showed my sister a bunch of screenshots together on the computer and that's when the light went off in her head.

She bought the iPhone 4S last year (her first real smart phone) and hasn't looked back since.

 

[bp1000]

no they are saying the actual size of the downloads are more also, because you can download a bigger better file.

Take slingbox for example, on 3g you get a lower data lower resolution video stream, on LTE you get a larger higher def stream so the actual amount of data is much larger for the same amount of watching.

so your habits stay the same but the amount of data you use goes up considerably.

wow didnt know that

My provider in the UK doesnt proxy but like you say some vod / service providers would match quality of streams based on bandwidth.

Interesting, glad i have a decent unlimited tariff still.

 

[Xgm541]

Wow, since when do snarky comments warrant positive votes. The majority of people do not have unlimited LTE. ATT unlimited users are limited to 2.5gb and then are throttled. Sprint LTE users are limited by location and amount of people on the network. From what I heard sprint users are only getting 8mb download speeds on LTE.

AT&T data throttling threshold is now 5gb for lte customers.

 

[saberahul]

No kidding. The first thing I noticed was how much more data I was using for things which used to not use as much data. Pandora radio for instance. I could listen to pandora all day long and only use a few hundred mb. Now I have burned through 100mb listening to pandora for about 45mins.

Netflix will also be an issue. Netflix doesn't let you choose the quality of the video you are streaming. It streams at max possible quality according to your internet speed. Therefore someone with an iphone 4s will be watching netflix at a data rate of maybe 1mb a sec with ok quality while someone with an iphone 5 will be watching netflix at 5-10mb a sec with high quality. The quality difference might not be hugely noticeable on the 4inch or 3.5 inch screens but the data usage will be much much higher on the iphone 5

I remember using Netflix for 1 movie and it used up 800MB.

 

[GuitarDTO]

No kidding. The first thing I noticed was how much more data I was using for things which used to not use as much data. Pandora radio for instance. I could listen to pandora all day long and only use a few hundred mb. Now I have burned through 100mb listening to pandora for about 45mins.

Netflix will also be an issue. Netflix doesn't let you choose the quality of the video you are streaming. It streams at max possible quality according to your internet speed. Therefore someone with an iphone 4s will be watching netflix at a data rate of maybe 1mb a sec with ok quality while someone with an iphone 5 will be watching netflix at 5-10mb a sec with high quality. The quality difference might not be hugely noticeable on the 4inch or 3.5 inch screens but the data usage will be much much higher on the iphone 5

Your pandora example is misleading/wrong (I believe). Streaming radio is streaming radio, a song is only so big, and it plays at a certain quality. I use Tuned In Radio for example. I have noticed 0 difference in data useage, because the total size of the file that ends up being streamed is the exact same whether over 3G or LTE, unless your quality when you were on 3G was set extremely low, and you are just now listening at a normal quality (128 kbps or above).

 

[sulpfiction]

ATT unlimited users are limited to 2.5gb and then are throttled

Not true. AT&T unlimited LTE doesn't throttle until u hit 5gb.

 

[TroyBoy30]

Yup TroyBoy this ^^^ before you were visiting 10 trimmed down web pages, on LTE you will be viewing 10 rich pages that's data-fat.

You went from V-Tech to a Twin Turbo V12.

I really hope you are making a joke

Take slingbox for example, on 3g you get a lower data lower resolution video stream, on LTE you get a larger higher def stream so the actual amount of data is much larger for the same amount of watching.

Simply not true. Video quality is controlled by your settings in the app. If you want to use less data set those apps that allow it to low quality. I have always had everything set for the best quality posible. Lte simply allows me to download that same amount of data quicker. It does not use more data.

 

[JS82712]

Now this is just a theory of course, but it seems to me that the much faster speed of LTE is going to cause quite a bit of problems for folks who aren't grandfathered in to the Unlimited Data plan.

Coming from 3G especially, let's say you can browse, request data, interact with apps, etc, etc roughly 10 times faster than you can before the IPhone 5... Would it be safe to say, you would push at least twice the amount of data as you do now?

If you can accomplish something 10 times faster, I think it's fair to say you would do more, probably not 10 times more, but easily twice as much in the same amount of time you do it now.

Are you using 50% or less (or a lot less) of your monthly data cap currently? If you aren't, you're probably in trouble. It's like leasing a car and going over on miles, you know you're over, but hey, you gotta get to work, so you can't stop driving, but you're going to have an ugly bill in the end.

Good Luck!

stop checking facebook every 20 seconds, you'll be fine.

 

[chakraj]

I really hope you are making a joke



Simply not true. Video quality is controlled by your settings in the app. If you want to use less data set those apps that allow it to low quality. I have always had everything set for the best quality posible. Lte simply allows me to download that same amount of data quicker. It does not use more data.

Ahh, but just because the option is "available" doesn't mean it's usable. I can tell you on non LTE AT&T network, it wasn't worth trying to watch in hd because it would be buffering more than not, it was literally unwatchable. But on LTE it's like butter.

Also in your 10 website example, if you have significantly faster service, and I mean more than twice as fast much more, your revisit rate will be much higher. Unless you just read very long articles. But that's not how I surf.

 

[TroyBoy30]

Ahh, but just because the option is "available" doesn't mean it's usable. I can tell you on non LTE AT&T network, it wasn't worth trying to watch in hd because it would be buffering more than not, it was literally unwatchable. But on LTE it's like butter.

Also in your 10 website example, if you have significantly faster service, and I mean more than twice as fast much more, your revisit rate will be much higher. Unless you just read very long articles. But that's not how I surf.

It wasn't unwatchable. All you had to do was pause the video and let it buffer before you started watching. I've been with AT&T for 15 years and I watched streaming videos every day on my iPad 2. I got very good 3G speeds here in Atlanta.

So now since I have lte I'm going to browse more? You guys are hillariuos. So sine I have 75 m at the house I should never leave the computer right? Speed does not make you browse more but it does allow you to browse what you normally do more quickly.

 

[chakraj]

It wasn't unwatchable. All you had to do was pause the video and let it buffer before you started watching. I've been with AT&T for 15 years and I watched streaming videos every day on my iPad 2. I got very good 3G speeds here in Atlanta.

So now since I have lte I'm going to browse more? You guys are hillariuos. So sine I have 75 m at the house I should never leave the computer right? Speed does not make you browse more but it does allow you to browse what you normally do more quickly.

Sling box / Sling player is a live steam from the tv so it's not like Netflix, when it starts back up it doesn't continue from where it was. It starts over at a newer point in the stream and there is no pause.