Cellular Data - How Much Do You Use?

[avenue]

Most people don't use cell phones for simply making calls anymore. Now, more than ever before, people are using the Internet on their phones. With smartphones now available, there are many applications available that can almost replace the computer! You can listen to music, watch movies, upload live video, and even trade stocks, all from a cell phone.

There are more and more data intensive applications than ever before, such as Pandora, TuneIn Radio, Netflix, Vevo, and Ustream. There is so much data being used on the cellular network, that some networks have become congested in some areas, resulting in slow data speeds. The increase in cellular data has also forced some carriers to switch to tiered plans instead of offering unlimited data. Those that still offer unlimited data often throttle customers exceeding a certain data allowance.

How much data do you use? You can try downloading an application such as 3G Watchdog that will track your data usage.

How much data comes with your plan?

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[rayvan]

I stream a lot of content & the last time I checked I was over 15 GB in the month. My plan includes unlimited data and isn't subject to getting throttled. However, mentioning throttling could lead to another discussion -- Do you know your getting throttled? Also & or did you read the fine print that said your unlimited data was 3G or 4G speed ONLY for the 1st 250 MB then reduced to 2G. Which in reality makes it useless. As we become a more & more data intense society the term "unlimited" for data is one of the biggest scams going when the company isn't really offering unlimited. If you see an unlimited data offer, the question to get answered in ((writing)) -- Is it unlimited data & if so, at what speed or is the speed subject to change (i.e. throttled to where the data access is useless).

Sorry, I hear the word throttle and I rant because the unlimited data claim is such a scam that so many companies are currently still allowed to do.

Cheers,

Rayvan

[avenue]

I stream a lot of content & the last time I checked I was over 15 GB in the month. My plan includes unlimited data and isn't subject to getting throttled. However, mentioning throttling could lead to another discussion -- Do you know your getting throttled? Also & or did you read the fine print that said your unlimited data was 3G or 4G speed ONLY for the 1st 250 MB then reduced to 2G. Which in reality makes it useless. As we become a more & more data intense society the term "unlimited" for data is one of the biggest scams going when the company isn't really offering unlimited. If you see an unlimited data offer, the question to get answered in ((writing)) -- Is it unlimited data & if so, at what speed or is the speed subject to change (i.e. throttled to where the data access is useless).

Sorry, I hear the word throttle and I rant because the unlimited data claim is such a scam that so many companies are currently still allowed to do.

Cheers,

Rayvan

The most I've ever used was almost 5 GB in one month. I don't think I've ever gone over that.

I don't think there is anything wrong with throttling, as long as it is mentioned to the customer at the store or when ordering online. When they say the plan has unlimited data, without mention of throttling, it usually leads to frustration later when the customer experiences the throttling. Also, some companies, such as Cricket, have the throttling speed so slow that it is almost unusable. Virgin Mobile throttles at 256 kbps which is much more reasonable than Cricket.

I understand that throttling might be necessary to keep network congestion down among other reasons, but they should go about it differently, in my opinion.

I agree with you, everything should be in writing. The customer service representatives should also be informed. They shouldn't just say "reduced speeds", they should know the approximate speed, like you said.

When you used 15 GB in one month, was that on 3G or 4G?

[tavenger5]

Most of my usage is from games and e-mail and I don't do a ton of either. Maybe that will change when I finally make the move to a 4g phone

[avenue]

Most of my usage is from games and e-mail and I don't do a ton of either. Maybe that will change when I finally make the move to a 4g phone

I think we'll all use more data with a 4G phone. It'll be time to cancel DirecTV and stream Netflix over HDMI.