“In a notice posted Thursday on Verizon’s official website, customers were informed that the carrier is implementing two new network management practices,” Katie Marsal reports for AppleInsider. “It said that the changes will provide a better experience for its more than 94 million customers.”
“Verizon said that customers who subscribe to a data plan or feature on Thursday or later may see their bandwidth speeds throttled, if they use an extraordinary amount of data every month,” Marsal reports. “The limits will be placed on customers who are among the top 5 percent of data users, Verizon said.”
Marsal reports, “‘We may reduce your data throughput speeds periodically for the remainder of your then current and immediately following billing cycle to ensure high quality network performance for other users at locations and times of peak demand,’ the notice says. ‘Our proactive management of the Verizon Wireless network is designed to ensure that the remaining 95% of data customers aren’t negatively affected by the inordinate data consumption of just a few users.'”
Full article here.
Makes total sence. ATT should have done the same, top 5%.
@Webmasters apprentice
Agreed but in the mean time until they do this is better then nothing being done at all!
In Canada we have three major carriers that have the iPhone. There is no different between any of them, they all suck.
Why did the American think that once Verizion would got the iPhone things would get better. These company are out to screw their customer out of their money. Give Verizion credit, they came up with a very creative way to screw their future iPhone customer. Give then unlimited data with one hand and them throttle back with the other hand while the customer is not looking.
This the price we pay to have iPhone.
So if you go over your allowance and pay $10 per GB, it may/will be at a slower speed?!
All the whiners are out in force, you plan to be the top 5% data pig? Then worry, otherwise whatcha whinin about?
All provider have a Fair Usage policy, jeeez
People who bitch about “unlimited” data plans not being “unlimited” remind me of people who make 10 trips to the buffet table because it’s “all you can eat”.
Here, let me spell it out for you: “Unlimited” data plans pose no real limit to the vast majority of us who are not service-abusing pigs. If you’re using so much data that you’re going to be negatively affected by a “limit” like this, maybe you should consider moving to a business plan, instead of hauling your fat ass back to the buffet for yet another trip while the skinny people are forced to wait behind you.
——RM
I also like how it says it will throttle back current and next billing cycle.
Haha stupid Verizon iPhone fans.
@lordbobin
Am I a fat slob because I want to watch hockey/football/baseball while I’m at work using my slingbox?
With Verizon, you get slower data speeds to begin with. Throttling back you get what kind of speed?
@Webmasters Apprentice, hilarious!
Lord Robin … precisely! The vast majority of the “Top 5%” of users are actually “ABusers”. Some do not realize they are sucking up way more than what most people find MORE than satisfactory. Some need huge amounts of data for a couple of weeks, then settle into a much lower usage rate. These are in the minority. The Top 5% … actually, closer to the top 10% … typically use several times the bandwidth the “average user” needs. Or is that the “median user”? The typical user at the 50% point, plus or minus 1%.
My host has bandwidth and storage limits. If you use more than your allotted bandwidth, folks can’t reach your site unless you pay for an upgrade (or they can wait until next month). This is how business works. You want more? PAY more.
Wow, MDN, you are really showing your colors here – after years of trumpeting how iPhone users are cooler because we actually use our phones as communications/computing devices, it now appears that we are “hogs” just because Verizon says we are.
Unlimited data ought to mean UNLIMITED DATA. If the dumb pipe that is providing it thinks it ought to be compensated for that, well fine, set the price accordingly. But to market something as unlimited and then throttle its delivery to a subset of the users is deceptive advertising, plain and simple, and an evil business practice.
Shame on MDN for endorsing it as part of its childish promotion of Verizon over AT&T.
@ LordRobin and DLMeyer…
I agree with you both completely, it just shouldn’t be called “Unlimited”
Unlimited means without limit. Clearly, putting a throttle on the top 5% of abusers is putting a limit. Call it something else. They’re gonna get sued, and I think they’ll lose.
I would agree that there are those that are using more than their fair share of data, but 5%? There are ~5 million people that are using so much data that they need to be throttled? I could understand the top .5% or maybe even 1% a little better.
Let me try this analogy hoping it will help somehow what wireless operators do.
I got two dogs, a buldog and a german shepherd. Breed is different but they are dogs, both dogs bark.
That’s what happens between wireless operators Verizon and AT&T.
Or someone thought just because breed is different… One wouldn’t bark? Think again.
Arrogant D-bags! You couldn’t pay me to switch to VZ
…”Shame on MDN for endorsing it as part of its childish promotion of Verizon over AT&T.”
Where exactly did you find MDN’s endorsement here? In this particular article, MDN’s take is quite conspicuously missing! MDN obviously went OUT of their way NOT to comment on the AppleInsider article.
The full press release also describes the other management technique–even if you aren’t in the top 5%, Verizon will be compressing your images and videos enough that discerning users will be able to tell, even on an iPhone, to say nothing of what it will look like on a big screen or printed.
This is typical Verizon.
Worst company ever, except for Microsoft and Google, the other 2 parts of the unholy corporate trinity.
I don’t get all the people here trying to defend Verizon’s bastardization of the word “unlimited”. Your focus on attacking and demonizing the “top 5%” misses the point completely.
“Unlimited” means “without limits”. If Verizon can’t deliver on that, they shouldn’t call it that. Simple.
And who says cellular broadband isn’t a utility and shouldn’t be regulated.
Net neutrality is needed more than ever people.
@ DR V.H.
They are not “self centered jerks”. They are told unlimited data so they are using as much as they want. If you are driving on the freeway that says ‘No Speed Limit’ how would you feel getting a speeding ticket.
Another thing, notice that 95% of users are having a negative impact on 5% of users. If Verizon cannot accommodate the 5% then their network is not as good as they claim.
Actually this is nothing new. I use Verizon’s DSL service for my internet connectivity and I’ve noticed that if I download or stream one too many movies in a month, my download speeds go to shit thru the next billing cycle. This throttling has never been officially stated, but I’ve always suspected it was being imposed even though I pay for their top account. Also, we used to have Vonage and Verizon killed that very quickly. With the throttled bandwidth, they it working so poorly after the first few weeks that we had to get rid of it and go back to using Verizon for our second phone line. IMO, Verizon will make ATT look like saints in under six months. Good luck.
What? No “MDN take” on this???? Damn MDN, if you are going to ever have negative comments this is the time! Suspiciously silent.
“even if you aren’t in the top 5%, Verizon will be compressing your images and videos enough that discerning users will be able to tell”
wow – I wonder if Apple ever worries that the telcos are going to derail their success
in Canada we’re fighting against ridiculously low bandwidth caps right now – 25GB per month
it seems like telcos everywhere are trying to use their control of the data connections to extort more money from the data that flows through those connections
maybe Apple should start its own ISP
maybe they’ll do it once the ISPs start charging extra to download stuff from the app store….
should clarify that the caps I’m talking about are for cable / dsl not wirelss
and check this link out
The Coming GOP War On the Open Internet — Not a Drinking Game
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-brodsky/the-coming-gop-war-on-the_b_818668.html