bandwidth caps

Wireless Data Caps: Will They Really Cost You More?

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:05:25 -0400

Full article: PCWorld
Megan Geuss
Most major wireless carriers have instated a tiered pricing structure for doling out data; and though this change won't affect most users now, it will when users' phones get nicer.

Verizon Will Push 300MB, $20 Wireless Data Nationwide

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:51:15 -0400

Full article: Broadband Reports
Karl Bode
Verizon announced a new 300MB, $20 wireless broadband tier, though the tier was only made available to users in Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia and North Carolina. Tthat should soon change, with Verizon taking the offer nationwide in the hopes of competing with AT&T's, $15 200 MB plan. Goth of these tiers are essentially designed to nudge most customers to more expensive tiers with higher caps, since the average user at Verizon and AT&T consume 394 MB and 425MB per month.

It's Coming: The Emergence of Second-Class Mobile Citizens

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:42:53 -0400

Full article: GigaOM
Stacey Higginbotham
Carriers in the U.S., Europe and Japan are building out LTE networks to deliver faster mobile data connectivity in droves. These networks are heralded as good enough for watching movies, video chat and even as a transmission medium for television news. But marketing is beginning to meet reality as people realize that their blinding fast connections come with a catch–a data cap.

Good News, Bad News: T-Mobile May Consider Overages

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:10:28 -0400

Full article: GigaOM
Kevin C. Tofel
Leaked information is pointing toward T-Mobile moving away from its unlimited data plan offerings, at least for the smallest plan option. Instead of slowing speeds once a customer surpasses 200 MB of mobile data in a given billing cycle, the carrier will charge a $0.10 per MB overage if the leaked data is accurate.

T-Mobile to Begin Charging Overage on Its 200MB Plans on August 14th?

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:36:19 -0400

Full article: Engadget
Brad Molen
T-Mobile, flooded by larger-than-expected demand on data, may be just a matter of days away from making a polarizing change to its 200MB Internet plans. As the feature currently stands, going over your limit results in a throttling of broadband speeds, forcing your browser to surf and download at a ridiculously slow pace. The rumored adjustment to the plan, however, would take away the option completely and replace it with usage charges.

Capped Data Plan Got You Down? There's an App for that

Lindsy Embree — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:40:26 -0400

Full article: GigaOM
Ryan Kim
Mobile data efficiency isn't a sexy feature that moves a lot of apps and devices, but it's increasingly going to be a selling point as mobile consumers look for savings in a data-capped world.

AT&T Data Throttling Is Just a Political Stunt

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:57:36 -0400

Full article: PCWorld
Tony Bradley
AT&T has confirmed that it will start throttling download speeds for unlimited data accounts. The move impacts relatively few users, and may be more political than technical, but it also begs the question "who is going to keep any eye on AT&T to make sure they measure usage accurately and don't abuse the throttling?"

Feel Bad About Your Broadband? Canada Has It Worse.

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 10:49:14 -0400

Full article: GigaOM
Stacey Higginbotham
Shaw, a Canadian ISP that has a broadband cap of 750 GB for its fastest tier, said this week that its online video service would be exempt from data caps. It also offers an unlimited plan as well. Such a move places Shaw's upcoming Movie Club service at an advantage to a competitive movie streaming service such as Netflix which is already having to downgrade its default service in Canada because of bandwidth caps.

Worried About Data Caps? Here's How to Check Your Usage

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 09 May 2011 08:49:25 -0400

Full article: Ars Technica
Matthew Lasar
Bandwidth caps are all the rage these days, in North America and around the world. We're talking about the notorious ceilings on how much broadband data you can use before your ISP starts charging you extra, or slowing down your connection, or shaping your traffic use. Here's how you can monitor your bandwidth use to avoid extra charges.

What Happens When the Cloud Meets a Bandwidth Cap

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 05 May 2011 09:43:52 -0400

Full article: GigaOM
Mathew Ingram
The cloud is a wonderful thing. It allows us all to keep almost unlimited backup copies of our documents, photos, music and other files on a remote server somewhere, and such backups are pretty cheap as well -- pennies a gigabyte. At least, they’re supposed to be. But when the cloud meets an Internet service provider's bandwidth cap it can be a less than happy experience.