I just got a text from AT&T what is this?

[Gunrun911]

AT&T Free Msg: Your data usage this month is in the top 5% of users. Use Wi-Fi to help avoid reduced speeds in future bill cycles. Visit www.att.com/dataplans.

I have unlimited by the way.

[Ryan_ATL]

Exactly what it says... you have been using a LOT of data this month, they are simply encouraging you to use Wi-Fi to reduce strain on the cellular network.

[Gunrun911]

Oh and I just got
This. So now they will cap my speed??? I never had this problem before and I am not using any more 3G data than normal . In fact it says 3.3 gb.

Like other wireless companies, AT&T is taking steps to manage exploding demand for mobile data. We're responding on many levels, including investing billions in our wireless network this year and working to acquire more network capacity.

As mentioned on a previous bill, we're also taking additional, more immediate steps to help address network congestion and improve reliability. One of these steps involves a change for some customers who use extraordinarily large amounts of data in a single billing period - about 12 times more data than the average smartphone user.

For the current billing cycle, your data usage indicates you could be affected by this change. Here's how it works:

Smartphone customers with unlimited data plans may experience reduced speeds once their usage in a billing cycle reaches the level that puts them among the top 5 percent of heaviest data users. These customers can still use unlimited data and their speeds will be restored with the start of the next billing cycle.

We're writing because you are in the top 5 percent of heaviest data users for this billing cycle. Because we recognize that data usage can change from month to month, you will not see reduced speeds this billing cycle.

Beginning with your next billing cycle, we'll send you a text message if you are approaching the top 5 percent of heaviest data users. We'll also send you a second text message if you cross into the top 5 percent of heaviest users, at which point you may see reduced speeds for the rest of the month.

Customers have several ways to manage extremely high data usage.

Wi-Fi offers great speeds and doesn't add to your wireless data usage. Consider using Wi-Fi when possible for applications that use the highest amounts of data, such as streaming video apps, remote web camera apps, large data-file transfers (like video) and some online gaming.

You may also consider switching to a tiered data plan if speed is more important to you than having an unlimited data plan. Customers on tiered plans can pay for more data if they need it, and will not see reduced speeds.

To estimate how much data different activities use, and find out more about Wi-Fi or tiered data plans, visit https://www.att.com/dataplans or call Customer Care at 800-331-0500.
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[Ryan_ATL]

3.3GB is a lot of data to be using.

Do you ever use Wi-Fi?

[Gunrun911]

Sure at home

[dwill05]

3.3 GB doesn't sound like too much to me. What about the people who are paying for the 4GB Data Pro + tethering plan? Are they going to get reduced speeds if they use the 4GB per month that they are paying for?

I can see if people are using 5 or 10 GB per month, but the 3.3 doesn't sound too high by itself. How many days into the billing cycle are you? If it's only like 10 days, maybe they are extrapolating usage to the end of the cycle.

[Facci]

Yes, how far are you into your billing cycle?
I consider myself a heavy user and have only one time gone over 2 GB in a month. They probably figure you are tethering somehow.

[21stNow]

If you go over the 4GB in the Data Pro + Tethering plan, you just get charged for the overage, but will still have full speed data.

[Myrtlemaye]

Well, I see "unlimited" has a new Orwellian definition. I don't think 3.3 GB should come anywhere near surpassing "unlimited." 

I've kept the unlimited plan at $30/month even though I have never come close to 2GB in any month. They seem to be fine with me paying an extra $5/month -- until I need it. This business of "you're in the top 5%" is unsavory at best. 

Suppose my broadband service goes out for a week (it has happened)? Suppose I'm traveling and don't want to pay the high rates for hotel wi-fi? Suppose I go and stay with my aunt who has no wi-fi at all?

[Wild Banchi ACE - Professor]

You're on the "naughty list" and AT&T will now begin to throttle your data speeds based on your higher-than-normal data usage.

[dwill05]

I suspect from their point of view, you are still getting "unlimited data". They aren't stopping it and you can still use as much as you want. There is nothing that says it has to all be at the same speed.

[Myrtlemaye]

Do you think they have regular internal company contests for best idea to make customers feel like AT&T is their enemy? Because whoever came up with this one should get first prize.

[archermoo]

---

Myrtlemaye wrote:

Well, I see "unlimited" has a new Orwellian definition. I don't think 3.3 GB should come anywhere near surpassing "unlimited." 

I've kept the unlimited plan at $30/month even though I have never come close to 2GB in any month. They seem to be fine with me paying an extra $5/month -- until I need it. This business of "you're in the top 5%" is unsavory at best. 

Suppose my broadband service goes out for a week (it has happened)? Suppose I'm traveling and don't want to pay the high rates for hotel wi-fi? Suppose I go and stay with my aunt who has no wi-fi at all?

---

Not Orwellian at all.  It means exactly what it has always meant.  There isn't an amount of data past which you get charged for data usage.  AT&T never claimed that the unlimited data plans meant a data plan that had absolutely no limits of any kind on it.

[tonester]

---

Gunrun911 wrote:
Oh and I just got
This. So now they will cap my speed??? I never had this problem before and I am not using any more 3G data than normal . In fact it says 3.3 gb.

You may also consider switching to a tiered data plan if speed is more important to you than having an unlimited data plan. Customers on tiered plans can pay for more data if they need it, and will not see reduced speeds.

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---

Re: 3.3 GB--unlimited users should heed this as a rough watermark as to how much data you need to use before you hit the top 5% of heaviest data users.

Re: switching to a tiered data plan--proof that it's not so much that you're using lots of data but rather, you're being "penalized" for using lots of data on an unlimited plan.  AT&T's own words pretty much bear this out--as long as you're willing to pay for data usage, they don't care how much data you use.  Theoretically, a tiered plan user could use 10 GB (or more) of data and--most likely, if we were to take AT&T's word about not seeing reduced speeds if on a tiered plan--not be throttled, whereas an unlimited user could use even as little as 3 GB and potentially be throttled--how's that for a bit of irony?

Re: paperless billing and automatic payments--off-topic on my part, but mark my words--some time in the near future AT&T will start charging you extra if you elect to continue receiving paper bills (in lieu of viewing your bills online) and/or if you elect to pay your bill manually (e.g., mail your payment) instead of choosing automatic payments and/or paying it online.

[Myrtlemaye]

The problem is that "top 5%" is a moving target.  No one knows when they might join that group and it will change daily.

 AT&T has a less incentive to improve capacity, and they now have a nice strategy to push customers who are grandfathered into the unlimited plan to move to a tiered plan. That's really what's at work here.

[johninsj ACE - Wizard]

---

Myrtlemaye wrote:

 AT&T has a less incentive to improve capacity, and they now have a nice strategy to push customers who are grandfathered into the unlimited plan to move to a tiered plan. That's really what's at work here.

---

This should not be a shock to you. You've now got two other carriers to choose from, if you don't want AT&T service but do want to stay with an iPhone.

They announced the new policy months ago. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/30/att-to-throttle-data-speeds-_n_913935.html (announced end of July, took effect in October)

FYI Comcast has the same type of excessive use policy, except they terminate people who violate it twice. It is a hard cap, but it's a soft enforcement - you need to exceed the cap AND be among the top 2% of data users

[purplecow827]

I'm being throttle right now with 1.5Gb of data usage this month.

Where is the unlimited in that. AT&T says that the plan is unlimited but the speed has been limited and therefore I am limited from using my data to its fullest potential.

[Per Guidelines:  Keep it Relevant and Appropriate]

[Wild Banchi ACE - Professor]

I agree that being throttled at 1.5GB is rather ludicrous when even customers using tiered 2GB plans are free to use up to 2GB, probably without being throttled.

[johninsj ACE - Wizard]

---

purplecow827 wrote:

I'm being throttle right now with 1.5Gb of data usage this month.

---

In the first week of your monthly cycle, ie, on track to repeat last month's 6GB. See my response in your main thread.

[brainwaver]

Wild, go read their other post : http://forums.att.com/t5/Apple-iPhone/ATT-throttles-unlimited-account-when-data-usage-is-only-1-5Gb/...

They have used 1.5GB in ONE week which is on track for their usage of 6GB last month. That is why they are being throttled.

---

Wild Banchi wrote:
I agree that being throttled at 1.5GB is rather ludicrous when even customers using tiered 2GB plans are free to use up to 2GB, probably without being throttled.

---

[Wild Banchi ACE - Professor]

---

brainwaver wrote:

Wild, go read their other post : http://forums.att.com/t5/Apple-iPhone/ATT-throttles-unlimited-account-when-data-usage-is-only-1-5Gb/...

They have used 1.5GB in ONE week which is on track for their usage of 6GB last month. That is why they are being throttled.

---

Wild Banchi wrote:
I agree that being throttled at 1.5GB is rather ludicrous when even customers using tiered 2GB plans are free to use up to 2GB, probably without being throttled.

---

---

Alright. 1.5GB in a week is understandable for throttling, then. Really, the throttling should not start until the user reaches over 2GB, but it certainly will not take them long...

[purplecow827]

1.5GB really isn't that much data. Or do you really think so?

I can put 2GB of data on my thumb drive in a minute. From another perspective, on my 50Gbit cable line, it takes me 4 minutes to download 1.5GB of data.

Your average AT&T iPhone users don't know the potential of this device. And I think that it is good that they don't know how to utilize their phone to keep the bandwidth free for us so called "heavy users."

And even if I were to use over 2GB of data, I'm paying $30 for my unlimted compared to someone who pays $25 for 2GB of data.

And lastly, AT&T won't throttle your speed if you are a tiered customer so that when they max out, they can charge extra and make more money for themselves. This is discrimination and corporate greed.

What AT&T should be doing is to increase their capacity and stop penalizing people for using up service that the way we customers see fit.

[tonester]

---

Wild Banchi wrote:

---

brainwaver wrote:

Wild, go read their other post : http://forums.att.com/t5/Apple-iPhone/ATT-throttles-unlimited-account-when-data-usage-is-only-1-5Gb/...

They have used 1.5GB in ONE week which is on track for their usage of 6GB last month. That is why they are being throttled.

---

Wild Banchi wrote:
I agree that being throttled at 1.5GB is rather ludicrous when even customers using tiered 2GB plans are free to use up to 2GB, probably without being throttled.

---

---

Alright. 1.5GB in a week is understandable for throttling, then. Really, the throttling should not start until the user reaches over 2GB, but it certainly will not take them long...

---

The problem I have with all of this is that theoretically, you could be throttled for using even as little as 100 MB in a week, if AT&T determines that to be the threshhold for the top 5%...and the insinuation from some folks that the throttling should apply no matter what the actual data usage amount turns out to be for the top 5%.  These folks would even think it fair and reasonable that someone in the top 5% should be rightfully throttled even if the top 5% calculates out to be say, 1 GB...

[purplecow827]

Yeah,

AT&T thinks it is fair.  But us customers don't think so.

[archermoo]

---

tonester wrote:

---

Wild Banchi wrote:

---

brainwaver wrote:

Wild, go read their other post : http://forums.att.com/t5/Apple-iPhone/ATT-throttles-unlimited-account-when-data-usage-is-only-1-5Gb/...

They have used 1.5GB in ONE week which is on track for their usage of 6GB last month. That is why they are being throttled.

---

Wild Banchi wrote:
I agree that being throttled at 1.5GB is rather ludicrous when even customers using tiered 2GB plans are free to use up to 2GB, probably without being throttled.

---

---

Alright. 1.5GB in a week is understandable for throttling, then. Really, the throttling should not start until the user reaches over 2GB, but it certainly will not take them long...

---

The problem I have with all of this is that theoretically, you could be throttled for using even as little as 100 MB in a week, if AT&T determines that to be the threshhold for the top 5%...and the insinuation from some folks that the throttling should apply no matter what the actual data usage amount turns out to be for the top 5%.  These folks would even think it fair and reasonable that someone in the top 5% should be rightfully throttled even if the top 5% calculates out to be say, 1 GB...

---

Which assumes that AT&T would continue with the policy if the top 5% of users were only using 100MB of data.  Somehow I doubt that would be the case.  That is the problem with taking real world cases and presuming absurd extremes.

If you think that there are people in this forum that would consider throttling someone who was using 1GB of data in a month reasonable, please name them and provide links to posts that back up your assumption.  Because I don't recall anyone ever saying that, but I'll certainly admit I might have missed it.

On the other hand, since you didn't put a time frame on your 1GB data consumption, I'd certainly agree that it could be reasonable to throttle someone who used 1GB of data in, say, 1 day.  Particularly if that level of usage was a common occurance for them.

[archermoo]

---

purplecow827 wrote:
1.5GB really isn't that much data. Or do you really think so?

I can put 2GB of data on my thumb drive in a minute. From another perspective, on my 50Gbit cable line, it takes me 4 minutes to download 1.5GB of data.

Your average AT&T iPhone users don't know the potential of this device. And I think that it is good that they don't know how to utilize their phone to keep the bandwidth free for us so called "heavy users."

And even if I were to use over 2GB of data, I'm paying $30 for my unlimted compared to someone who pays $25 for 2GB of data.

And lastly, AT&T won't throttle your speed if you are a tiered customer so that when they max out, they can charge extra and make more money for themselves. This is discrimination and corporate greed.

What AT&T should be doing is to increase their capacity and stop penalizing people for using up service that the way we customers see fit.

---

Of course it is reasonable that people who have one of the tiered accounts don't get throttled.   When they use large quantities of data, they pay more.  Those of us with grandfathered unlimited accounts don't.  Throttling someone who has historically used 6GB of data per month on an unlimited account once they hit 1.5 GB of data in a week doesn't sound particularly unreasonable to me.

I'm curious how you think carriers pay for increasing their capacity.  I'll give you a hint: It has something to do with increasing revenue when demand increases.

[delosla]

I just got one of  these also and I'm only at 2 gigs this month on my UN-LIMITED data plan.  How can I be one of the top 5% of data users when at&t's standard limited data plans start at 2 gigs?  Very upsetting, Maybe time to look for a new carrier.

[BadBadLeroyBrown ACE - Warrior]

Upwards of 3GB a month on a consistent basis will likely land you on AT&T's "5% List". Regarding those other scenarios, are you talking about using data on your phone or tethering your phone to another device? Why is it AT&T's concern if your home broadband goes out, or if you don't want to pay hotel wifi? AT&T's data plans aren't meant to be substitutes for wireline Internet services, and unlimited iPhone data plan users are NEVER allowed to tether their device under that plan.

---

Myrtlemaye wrote:

Well, I see "unlimited" has a new Orwellian definition. I don't think 3.3 GB should come anywhere near surpassing "unlimited." 

I've kept the unlimited plan at $30/month even though I have never come close to 2GB in any month. They seem to be fine with me paying an extra $5/month -- until I need it. This business of "you're in the top 5%" is unsavory at best. 

Suppose my broadband service goes out for a week (it has happened)? Suppose I'm traveling and don't want to pay the high rates for hotel wi-fi? Suppose I go and stay with my aunt who has no wi-fi at all?

---

[Wild Banchi ACE - Professor]

When I had initially heard the message a few months ago that AT&T was going to begin throttling the top 5% of its data users, I had thought it would only be a small handful of people. Wow, was I underestimated...

[21stNow]

---

delosla wrote:

I just got one of  these also and I'm only at 2 gigs this month on my UN-LIMITED data plan.  How can I be one of the top 5% of data users when at&t's standard limited data plans start at 2 gigs?  Very upsetting, Maybe time to look for a new carrier.

---

AT&T's lowest tiered data plan is 200MB, not 2GB.