Verizon to Start Throttling Data

[Paul Daniel Ash]

A document on Verizon's website reveals plans to begin throttling the throughput of customers who use an "extraordinary amount" of data. The PDF, called "Important Information about Verizon Wireless Data Plans and Features," announces two new "network management practices" that it is implementing to deal with the expected surge in traffic caused by new iPhone users: "optimizing" content and limiting heavy data use. But without a definition of what "extraordinary" means, some users are likely to find themselves stuck in the slow lane.

The brief document describes how the carrier is "implementing optimizing and transcoding technologies" that will supposedly rescale content depending on the device that is requesting it. To head off complaints of violating net neutrality, Verizon asserts that its "optimization process is agnostic to the content itself and to the website that provides it." The document links to Verizon's Explanation of Optimization Deployment page which notes how all HTTP traffic (including that from Verizon's own domains) goes through optimization. Text is compressed losslessly, images are downsampled, and recorded video (but not streaming) will be transcoded to H.264. Resizing and compressing webpages and other content on the fly sounds like it'll make a hash of some content, and Verizon notes that while "any change to the file is likely to be indiscernible," users may notice that the display will be "minimally impacted."

The second part of the document applies to users who "subscribe to a Data Plan or Feature on February 3, 2011 or after," obviously referring to new iPhone owners. Verizon says that they "may" throttle data throughput for customers who use "an extraordinary amount of data and fall within the top 5 percent of Verizon Wireless data users." This cap will be imposed for the rest of the current billing cycle as well as the cycle that follows. The amount of data usage that is considered "extraordinary" is not made clear, nor is the magnitude of the throttling that users will be under for up to two months. And it's not clear at all if there will be a warning, or if you just get slammed.

Early users of the iPhone on Verizon are reporting overall slower speeds than AT&T in good coverage areas, but more good coverage areas overall. Verizon is clearly interested in protecting their network service, but clearer guidelines would help users avoid being penalized for overuse.

Source: CNET

[Healy1818]

i wonder if this will affect international users such as myself. ive used 9gb and i still have 15 days left until my cycle restarts. Ive been using verizon for awhile now and I am not the slighest bit upset about the speeds I have gotten even when I am in the US on CDMA. Id rather have good coverage with decent speeds, rather than spotty coverage with fast speeds. LTE will def be amazing. Verizon is doing it right in my opinion.

[kraziebone]

I hope that limit is around 5GB and not 1GB.

[CaptBojank]

I hope that limit is around 5GB and not 1GB.

I can't find my source but I read this morning that it was ~2gb.

EDIT: BTW, Verizon is going to start "optimizing" which means caching and compression (for video and images).

http://support.vzw.com/terms/network_optimization.html

[Tfost]

Good thing I'm not with verizon. Ive used 28gb and have 10 days left this month

[iphone4idiots]

So what they are saying is use our hotspot for all your data needs, but don't use so much that you are in top 5% of users. Got it

[Gadgetfreak]

Another reason not to go to verizon

[jeffhesser]

well they already said that hostpot functionality is going to cost you $20 and bandwidth throttling is absolutely not new... every 'unlimited' plan from any wireless provider has an *** behind the word unlimited and says below that any excessive use (over whatever GB number they assign) could be subject to bandwidth throttling. as for the iphone already being shown to be slower, well that's just because the CDMA network is simply not as fast (wider coverage yes, faster network performance no).

[DJ NiveK]

Basically there telling us to only flush the toilet once even though there's a chance of it plugging?

[jdm.accord]

Other than having a great network that drops fewer calls than other networks, Verizon is the least customer-friendly of the big four.....by far. I'd much rather deal with more (hardly any though) dropped calls with AT&T than Verizon's constant bullying of customers.

Highest ETFs, highest security deposits, throttling data, and killing of early upgrade programs (new every two) are headlines just within the past 6 months. Double you tee eff? Why do so many people drink the big red kool-aid?

[Healy1818]

its funny people complain about the throttling, verizon isnt the only carrier to do this. at least they keep the unlimited data usage available. ATT got rid of unlimited or 5gb because they saw that a majority of thier users used less than 2gb per month. gotta look at both carriers and compare not just one carrier and hate.

[bigorangekitty]

Conversation:
"Can you hear me now? I'm on the new Verizon iPhone"
-"Sure I can, I'm on At&t in a metro area, when did you send that email?"
"I sent that email 15 minutes ago BEFORE I called you."
-"When are you going to be here?"
"I'd be there now, but I can't talk and access GPS to find you"

slow crappy data + no data & talk at same time = FAIL

Once again I live in a metro area, At&t is strong here. Unlimited voice and data I don't use all of every month = WIN for me.

[dq13]

I wonder how can someone use 25gb of data en a month... I understand at home (I personally use at least 200gb a month), but how much crap can you download on a phone, I am just wondering, I use 1gb max on my phone, I admit I am light user, but from 1 to 28?

[steve-z17]

I have a feeling this isn't going to be the last we hear of this...cutting down data/speed.

[iphone4idiots]

I wonder how can someone use 25gb of data en a month... I understand at home (I personally use at least 200gb a month), but how much crap can you download on a phone, I am just wondering, I use 1gb max on my phone, I admit I am light user, but from 1 to 28?

Some people stream video to their iPhone (Netflix etc.) or do lots of Facetime. That adds up fast.

Also, some people are tethering their iPhones or using it as a hotspot with MyWi. Thus, they could be using the 200gb a month you do - HD moives I guess

[zplit]

Some people stream video to their iPhone (Netflix etc.) or do lots of Facetime. That adds up fast.

Also, some people are tethering their iPhones or using it as a hotspot with MyWi. Thus, they could be using the 200gb a month you do - HD moives I guess

yeah you got that right ive using from 10 to 15 a month, sometimes more
good I have my old plan

[ShredNasty]

Wow. This Verizon iPhone sounds better and better everyday. What, between the network using 1940s era tech, no global features, no simultaneous voice/data, and now throttling people on unlimited plans.....where do I sign up?!?!

[Nickaroni22]

This is coming for all providers eventually. Users total abuse of the unlimited data, I see unlimited data being a thing of the past soon. When 4G arrives completely there will be strict regulations on it.

[hammerhals]

... Text is compressed losslessly...

yeah!

[Stryker1]

Looks like Verizon is ready to screw their customers even before they start. Wow!! And I though ATT was bad.

Stryker