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T-Mobile UK cuts fair use cap to 500MB, blocks video after

updated 05:05 pm EST, Mon January 10, 2011

T-Mobile to cut data cap to 500MB from 3GB


Cellphone provider T-Mobile UK will soon reduce its fair-use policy on data down to 500MB per month. This is a huge reduction, as before this, those with Android smartphones enjoyed a 3GB mobile data limit. Once 500MB is reached, subscribers will no longer be able to download or stream video and other media files but will continue to have access to web browsing and e-mail access.

The new policy will come into effect on February 1, T-Mobile UK announced. The carrier believes users are free to access Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, BBC News and other popular sites, as well as access e-mail and browse the web, but save watching videos for their home broadband service. The limit will not impose overage charges, but instead restrict bandwidth, making watching video painstakingly slow. Whether browsing and e-mail attachment downloading speeds will be affected by this isn't clear but likely.

Users who recently signed up for a two-year contract are most likely to be disappointed by the new development. In comparison, 3 UK and T-Mobile partner Orange offer much larger caps, with both at 1GB. [via MocoNews]


By Electronista Staff

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TAGS :  

industry, Android, T-Mobile, mobile phones

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Previous Comments

  1. Paul Huang

    Dedicated MacNNer

    Joined: Sep 1999

    +5
    01/10, 05:14pm | report spam | reply

    The peep show ends

    This is only the beginning.


  1. Geoduck

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2010

    -2
    01/10, 05:42pm | report spam | reply

    The big point is

    That TM (and likely all the rest of the cell providers and ISPs) are snooping on what we download, what we watch, and where we go. They are snooping on everything we do online. They are invading our privacy. The next step is (using the defective NetNeutrality rules passed last month) to begin limiting what we do and where we go.


  1. climacs

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2001

    +2
    01/10, 05:57pm | report spam | reply

    W.t.f.

    if this comes to the US... man I'll ditch my data plan in a heartbeat. I love to stream music on my iPhone because most terrestrial radio sucks. I regularly hit 3gb or more monthly.

    What good is 3G if they cripple it? Maybe they think $30/mth isn't enough? Christ.


  1. Feathers

    Grizzled Veteran

    Joined: Oct 1999

    +7
    01/10, 06:58pm | report spam | reply

    Man in the middle!

    This is the first strike in an attempt by service providers of all kinds, including fixed line and mobile, to seek a share of the revenue from the content downloaded on top of what they already charge for the raw bits that carry this "precious cargo". The Telco's already charge both sides for consumed bandwidth but now they want a premium for certain types of data. There is no neutrality. Of course, they could just get into the content business themselves and make TV shows, music and movies, but why do that when you can live parasitically off the labour of others. This is no different than if a company such as UPS or FEDEX charged extra if the box you shipped contained a DVD or a CD.


  1. Integr8d

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Apr 2010

    +2
    01/10, 09:11pm | report spam | reply

    WhatEVER

    "In comparison, 3 UK and T-Mobile partner Orange offer much larger caps, with both at 1GB."

    Yes. It's so much larger. A whole, juicy gig. What would I do with a whole gig, EVERY 30 days, at my disposal? That would be like two Youtube clips a day!

    What a joke!!!

    They are training the public, which collectively has the memory of a goldfish, so that when they 'give' them 2GB/month the public will think it's something awesome. They won't be able to remember the time when bandwidth was unlimited.

    We need real investigative reporting. I want to hear from Alcatel/Lucent, Motorola, Siemens, whoever knows the capabilities of the of the network operators and can quantify, based on the actual hardware implemented, whether people are getting fleeced or not. If Siemens says, "Oh yeah, 3 uses all the latest hardware and could easily give their subscribers 500GB a month," we need to have a little chat with 3.


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