Verizon Reserving Right to Throttle Data Speeds for Top 5% of Users

[dave420]

It's pretty hard to get over 5GB of usage using your phone as intended. Not impossible, but not easy. I'm sure the vast majority of the top 5% of data users are tethering.

No it isn't really. As I mentioned before you can stream Netflix through the phone and hook the phone up to a TV. Watch a season or two of your favorite TV show and you will be well above 5 GB. No jailbreaking or tethering required.
This might be more difficult with Verizon since with the slower maximum speed users may be less inclined to watch video on their TV from their phone.

 

[rjohnstone]

I dont think the issue is with Verizon saying they will throttle your internet when it rains in your city. They are allowed to do that. The issue is Verizon telling you that you have unlimited data download and then capping your download by limiting your speed. The issue is Verizon saying Joe, Sam and Mark will have their speed throttled when it rains in your city while Jack and Jill are not throttled.

You're missing the point. Nowhere in any phone contract is "speed" guaranteed.
Unlimited data simply means you can use as much as you want.
Nowhere in any TOS I've ever read is the "speed" of the data connection guaranteed.
Even T-Mobile throttles their unlimited data users once they cross a certain usage threshold.

 

[nylonsteel]

oh comon vz - we need more speed and bandwidth - not this throttle back bs

 

[dave420]

pretty sure it does, and for those still under a contract they will probably be given the opportunity to void the contract and leave, and for those who are month to month well they can just leave if they don't like it

I don't think so. I believe the article said it applied only to new data activations as of today.

 

[tritonj]

No it isn't really. As I mentioned before you can stream Netflix through the phone and hook the phone up to a TV. Watch a season or two of your favorite TV show and you will be well above 5 GB. No jailbreaking or tethering required.
This might be more difficult with Verizon since with the slower maximum speed users may be less inclined to watch video on their TV from their phone.

why would you choose to stream it this way other than to prove a point that you could do it? you'll get a better stream going through cable modem or even DSL

 

[impact_blue]

... but I thought Verizon's network could handle ANYTHING. It just keeps getting worse for Verizon fans. Years of whining and complaining and I bet most Americans will stick with AT&T due to all the cons of Verison.

Basically unless you use your iPhone more for talking than you do data, (I don't, and don't know anyone who does), then AT&T is the better choice.

The only people this will sway are fanboys on internet boards and blogs, not your typical consumer.

I get BS service in my area with AT&T so decent data speed is better than NO DATA SPEED.

 

[NoExpectations]

Verizon going down a Dangerous Path

The more I think about it, the more upset I get. Verizon is CHANGING MY CONTENT without permission. This introduces even more delay (processing) on top of a slower network.

Now my iPhone's Retina display has been crippled by Verizon as I can not benefit from receiving hi-res pictures. Verizon will choose the "best" resolution for me.

What's next...are my files/docs too large? Will Verizon auto-edit them before sending them on?

Absurd. Instead of spending money on all of these compression services, improve your network instead!

 

[Rodimus Prime]

No it isn't really. As I mentioned before you can stream Netflix through the phone and hook the phone up to a TV. Watch a season or two of your favorite TV show and you will be well above 5 GB. No jailbreaking or tethering required.
This might be more difficult with Verizon since with the slower maximum speed users may be less inclined to watch video on their TV from their phone.

And this question is to ask those people streaming Netflix all the time.

Where the hell are you streaming were you do not have access to WiFi?

If you are streaming so much over 3G and streaming that much video yes you are abusing the system. 5gigs is a lot of data and really most of the data usage should be over wifi.

 

[tritonj]

The more I think about it, the more upset I get. Verizon is CHANGING MY CONTENT without permission. This introduces even more delay (processing) on top of a slower network.

Now my iPhone's Retina display has been crippled by Verizon as I can not benefit from receiving hi-res pictures. Verizon will choose the "best" resolution for me.

What's next...are my files/docs too large? Will Verizon auto-edit them before sending them on?

Absurd. Instead of spending money on all of these compression services, improve your network instead!

don't subscribe if you don't like it, put your money where your mouth is, so to speak. and keep this in mind they are "reserving the right" not doing it for sure. this is a CYA on their part as for the compression i believe i t applies more to streaming video more than anything else, i doubt they are concerned about images. and honestly how high res on the images you view on your phone?

 

[Glideslope]

hmmm, Verizon having 2nd thoughts about whether or not their network can handle the iPhone????

Way more than 2nd thoughts. IMO, were over a dozen by now.

 

[kdarling]

Cellular bandwidth isn't infinite. Not even close.

So all the carriers have always had a clause about being able to slow down or deny heavy users if they're affecting other people.

Sometimes it's worded vaguely. Sometimes it's a hardcoded number.

In this case, it's a percentage of the top users. Think about that: if everyone uses 5GB a month, then the top 5% would be the ones using an even higher amount.

So... everyone should use a lot of data and increase the base amount

 

[Glideslope]

And this question is to ask those people streaming Netflix all the time.

Where the hell are you streaming were you do not have access to WiFi?

If you are streaming so much over 3G and streaming that much video yes you are abusing the system. 5gigs is a lot of data and really most of the data usage should be over wifi.

Agree completely. The problem in it's entirety thrown down like a Glacier on a Pebble.

 

[JRoDDz]

and that is your right, but Verizon won't agree to that stipulation and as such you will not have an agreement with them

and guess what you can do the same thing, don't agree to the terms or throttled data and you won't have an contract with Verizon either

it's a 2 way street, no one is forcing you to sign with Verizon, you don't like it don't buy it or sign it as the case may be

I declare this contract null and void. AT&T where are you?

 

[dave420]

why would you choose to stream it this way other than to prove a point that you could do it? you'll get a better stream going through cable modem or even DSL

So I can't use my phone for services it is intended to be used for? With AT&T's 3G service the quality of streaming is just as good as a home connection. Heck sometimes it works better and is more reliable.

 

[Rot'nApple]

I'd rather have that than the tiered data plans.

But aren't tiered plans on the way for the Verizon folks? Unlimited is for the time being... more of a bullet point for sales right now!

Tiered will be a way of life. Sadly it is only two plans. Need to have better tiered options and better pricing!

Something like

250MB ($1.99/mo)
500MB ($5.00/mo)
2GB ($10.00/mo)
3GB ($15.00/mo)
5GB ($20.00/mo)
10GB ($25.00/mo)
Unlimited ($30.00/mo)

then add ons for:

SMS
VMS
Hotspot Tethering

Then you won't have to worry about throttling, everyone will pick their own sweet spot data plan at which they will either use or can afford and by virtue throttle themselves without the need of the Carrier doing so. And the carriers might have more people jumping to smart phones because of the more affordable data plans, thus increasing revenue for the carrier for the data.

Oh well, just rambling...
/
/
/

 

[Mattsasa]

i will be apart of that top 5%...
however for some reason I am not too mad about this.
either way lame on verizons part!

 

[Nicky G]

throttling, meh. compression -- WTF?!?!

The throttling doesn't seem like that big a deal to me, I doubt the vast majority of users will ever notice this.

However, I thinkt he idea that they will be compressing data behind the scenes without your knowledge is ridiculous, and needs to be spelled out much more clearly. If I send someone an image file as an attachment, I expect them to receive the EXACT same file that I send them. Likewise for anything else. Same goes for files I receive, whether that's on a web page, via email, file transfer, what have you.

If I want to look at the compressed web, I'll use Opera for iPhone.

Verizon -- gosh, this is just so sketchy. Let's hope that next-generation HSPA+ and LTE networks, and much more significant backhauls going to cell towers, will make this kind of garbage unnecessary.

What I really think is funny is -- before the iPhone, all the cell providers couldn't sign enough people up for data services -- they were losing tons of money on the 3G investments they made. And then came the iPhone (as well as the other smart-phones it spawned) and BAM -- now there's not enough capacity to go around. Amazing -- and this is in 3 years.

 

[rhett7660]

This is very interesting. Going to wait and see how this plays out and I bet over half the users here won't be affected by this.

 

[Mattie Num Nums]

This is why it doesn't matter if Verizon throttles or not. I'm essentially throttled on AT&T by very nature of their network anyway... what's the difference? At least I'll actually get to make or receive a call now.

I dislike the traffic shaping end of this, but if throttling the offenders allows me consistent coverage, then so be it.

Sprint 4G here in Dallas, Texas (1 bar of 4G) is 8Mbps peaking at 12.5. Back home in LA its just slightly faster. All this hollybaloo about Verizon+iPhone and its still not the best option available.

 

[bigcat318]

Why is SMS just not considered data anyway? Seems strange I can have unlimited data but still pay extra for a text.

 

[Hurda]

If I send someone an image file as an attachment, I expect them to receive the EXACT same file that I send them.

Zip it up, not that big of a deal.

Why is SMS just not considered data anyway? Seems strange I can have unlimited data but still pay extra for a text.

Because people apparently have no problem to pay (in relation) ridiculous money for a couple hundred bytes which go through a pretty much unused cellophone-channel.

 

[tritonj]

I declare this contract null and void. AT&T where are you?

nice try, but you signed your att contract you didn't sign your verizon one yet. which is the point isn't it. if you want to add a stipulation to an unsigned contract go for it, good luck getting them to agree to it.

if they are changing terms of a signed contract and they aren't letting you out of it then you can gripe but that isn't what is happening here

So I can't use my phone for services it is intended to be used for? With AT&T's 3G service the quality of streaming is just as good as a home connection. Heck sometimes it works better and is more reliable.

really? you're going to try to argue that your phone service was intended to stream video to your tv? get real bro, that is something that you "can" do with it but it certainly isn't the intended use. your data plan on your phone is not intended to replace or be used in lieu of a broadband connection at home. yes it can be used that way but it is not its intended use. hell not even the MiFi devices are intended to replace a home connection. these are nice to use when you need it but that's about it.

 

[bigcat318]

Its even more ridiculous if you go over your plan.

 

[japanime]

For those who are saying, "Doesn't matter, it's only the top 5 percent," consider this:

Here in Japan, Softbank (Apple's only iPhone carrier in this country) has officially acknowledged that it throttles data speeds for 100 percent of its customers. That's right — for everybody.

Verizon is clearly headed in that direction. After all, once the top 5 percent are being throttled and "under control," then the next 5 percent will be targeted, and so on and so on until all 100 percent are being throttled.

 

[kdarling]

.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the top 5%" - quote from Spock's human ancestor, who worked for Verizon in the early 21st century.