Despite denying throttling for LTE, Verizon throttles their top data hogs, ATT does, Sprint next?

[pyroscott]

Migrated from Original Forum. Originally Posted 5 February 2012

 

AT&T has been rumored to start throttling their grandfathered in unlimited data users after about 2 GB according to AT&T Unlimited Data Plan Throttled After 2GB, Worse Than Same Priced 3GB Plan (Report) but it was initially thought to only be for their top data users.

 

According to a Verizon data hog that I know, he gets up to 50 Mbps at times from Verizon's LTE, until he hits 5GB, then it becomes noticeably slower. He normally exceeds 15GB of downloads per month since Verizon rolled out LTE in December and has identified that it is 5GB that they start throttling his speeds. Verizon admits throttling their top 3G users in their Network Optimization disclosure but it specifically says that LTE users will not be affected. It states that you will only be affected if you are:

• A data customer on an unlimited data plan;
  
• Have a 3G Verizon Wireless device (if you have a 4G LTE device you will not be impacted); and
  
• Among the top 5% of data users in a given month.
  

Sprint has been rumored to throttle their top 5%, but denied it. With the other 3 top carriers throttling their unlimited plans, is it inevitable for Sprint sooner or later to throttle their data users?

[legion125]

Migrated from Original Forum. Originally Posted 5 February 2012

 

From what I understood it to be, Sprint throttled the data hogs that were violating its data-roaming agreements. Verizon can get away from throttling LTE because its network is still fairly new without a lot of traffic. However, once LTE becomes more prevalent, Big Red will start controlling that network as well. The same will be said for Sprint. Its just deciding when it will happen.

[twospirits]

Much like what member legion125 mentioned Sprint only throttles the data hogs violating roaming agreements. Eventually they just might to match the others but I figure we still have about 3 years before that decision is made.

[pyroscott]

The person that I talked to is not violating roaming agreements with Verizon and he is using their mostly vacant St. Cloud MN LTE spectrum but he is still getting throttled after 5 GB. He might still be using wireless hotspot though.

[david279]

Is your friend on a old unlimited plan? Expect for the throttling to come sooner. Something like at&t is pulling to get him to switch plan.

 

Sent from my Nexus S 4G

[pyroscott]

Is your friend on a old unlimited plan? Expect for the throttling to come sooner. Something like at&t is pulling to get him to switch plan.

 

Sent from my Nexus S 4G

Yeah, he's grandfathered in for unlimited. I told him I wouldn't mess around with anything violating his terms and conditions so they could cancel him off. I'm sure at&t and Verizon would love to get the data hogs off their unlimited plans. For now, I guess they will resort to throttling.

 

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

[legion125]

There were a couple of articles out the other day that continue to comment on how AT&T is beginning to throttle unlimited users once they get past 2GB, but if you have a tiered 3GB plan, the sky's the limit until you actully reach your 3GB limit. Looks like a stealth effort to get unlimited users to give up their plans for tiered.

[pyroscott]

That is such garbage. Apparently unlimited means however much they give you

 

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

[S4GRU]

We need to come up with new terms for the various meanings of Unlimited. Unlimited should only mean the purest meaning...no caps, no throttling...in all circumstances.

 

Maybe we can call usually unlimited, but may be throttled on busy cell sites at peak times something else? Like Mega Data?

 

I have no idea. But I'm sick of carriers trying to redefine unlimited data, when in reality what they are offering is nothing like unlimited.

 

Additionally, I'm tired off all the buffoons on Verizon and AT&T that smirk and say they are "Grandfathered." In reality, their unlimited data keeps changing daily, and the grandfather term they keep throwing around doesn't mean squat. AT&T's throttling of grandfathered unlimited proves that their plans are neither grandfathered nor unlimited. DOH!

[pyroscott]

I'm imagining the bills look something like this "you currently are on the unlimited data plan, which gives you speeds of up to 40 Mbps if we have upgraded the network in your area to 4G and only while you are connected to a speed test site with no caps or throttling until you exceed 2 gb.

[S4GRU]

I'm imagining the bills look something like this "you currently are on the unlimited data plan, which gives you speeds of up to 40 Mbps if we have upgraded the network in your area to 4G and only while you are connected to a speed test site with no caps or throttling until you exceed 2 gb.