❗Help close the gap: We still need to raise $40,000 by the end of March. Donate now
Codebreaker

If your wireless carrier had a pro wrestling alter-ego, it would probably be called “The Throttler.”

Marc Sanchez Feb 24, 2012
Codebreaker

If your wireless carrier had a pro wrestling alter-ego, it would probably be called “The Throttler.”

Marc Sanchez Feb 24, 2012

Data throttling is the new norm for wireless carriers. If you’re in the top five percent of data consumers on AT&T unlimited data plan, for example, you might find your connection speeds severely slowed after you reached a certain limit. According to a recent study by wireless bill analytics firm, Validas, the bar that’s being set for that limit doesn’t have a set place.

The New York Times reports:

For Verizon bills, the top 5 percent of data customers on unlimited plans  used nearly the same amount of data as those on tiered plans. And for AT&T, the top 5 percent of customers on unlimited data plans used only slightly more data than those on limited plans.

What’s seems to be happening is that, if you have an unlimited plan and you reach data amounts equal to that of limited plans, your carrier starts to apply the throttle. And then there’s this riddle of the Sphinx, as the Times again reports:

Validas raises the question of whether the carriers were throttling simply because they want unlimited data customers to switch to limited, tiered plans. It is a befuddling question because it could potentially cost customers more over time. After all, how can a network be out of capacity if it can serve a customer on a limited plan without throttling if the heaviest data users on both limited and unlimited plans are consuming roughly the same amount of data?

Expect this topic to bubble to the surface as the Mobile World Congress conference gets underway in Barcelona next week.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.