![]() The research firm Validas recently reviewed the phone bills of 11,000 users and found that the data usage of so-called “bandwidth hogs” on both restricted (throttled or tiered) and unlimited plans was effectively the same. There may be some truth to this cover story, but the carriers’ abandonment of unlimited plans probably has more to do with maintaining healthy profits. For cover, the wireless carriers have invoked a tried-and-true “sky is falling” scenario, saying that putting restrictions on data use is essential to preserving network capacity in the face of skyrocketing data demand and a dearth of available wireless spectrum. Wireless carriers have found that it makes economic sense to impose tiered pricing systems on customers, and to profit when customers use too much data. In fact, Virgin Mobile–the low-price, prepaid leg of Sprint–has announced that it will begin throttling down users who exceed 2GB a month, beginning March 12. Most people in the industry believe that Sprint will eventually capitulate and end its unlimited data plan in favor of a tiered scheme with overage charges. Sprint can be seen as the insurgent here, but the company is so troubled– financially and technologically–that the other large carriers aren’t inclined to view its unlimited data plan as much of a threat. So they don’t have much market incentive to offer unlimited anything. Among the “Big Four,” competition isn’t especially strong, either: AT&T and Verizon claim a combined 85 percent of the business. subscribers, the nation’s wireless market isn’t very competitive. AT&T even decided to throttle subscribers who are still on one of the old unlimited data contracts.Īnd why not? With just four national carriers accounting for almost all U.S. Sprint is the only carrier clinging to the truly unlimited concept, but even it requires subscribers to pay a $10 “data fee.” AT&T and Verizon have adopted tiered pricing plans for data, under which they charge hefty overage fees if you exceed your monthly allowance. Starting with AT&T, most carriers have done away with unlimited data plans. To have my 4G speed restored for March, I’ll have to pay my regular monthly bill early. Connecting with the Android Market and downloading an app from it took so long that I gave it up as not worth doing. A 1-minute YouTube video that had taken about 1minute, 3 seconds to load and run all the way through now took 4 minutes, 35 seconds. If your speed test shows faster speeds without the VPN, it’s time to get to work to improve your connection.At that slow speed, a Web page that had taken just a few seconds to load before I hit the limit instead took 17 seconds to load. 'ID10T ERROR': What are your company's IT guys calling you behind your back? How to speed up your internet if you’re not being throttled They can speed up your connection in many cases without even making a house call. If you find your speeds are much better with a VPN, call your ISP to find out what's going on. Repeat this test several times over a few days to find an average. Avoid the morning when everyone is taking meetings or the evening when we all fire up Netflix. I suggest doing tests when you and your neighbors aren't on video calls or streaming. Here’s the tell-tale sign: If your internet speed is slower without a VPN active, your ISP is most likely throttling you. A VPN hides the IP address that ISPs use to see who’s connected. In most cases, internet speeds will be a bit slower when connected to any VPN. Run again and compare speeds with and without an active VPN. Now that you know your internet speed, turn on your VPN. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |