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True unlimited broadband with no fair usage cap

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We just want unlimited broadband!  Why do broadband providers scar uch as BT, Wanadoo, Freeserve and NTL etc have a capped service that restricts us to between 3 and 30 gigabytes a month?  Personally, Ive gone with Tiscali for the time being, not because they offer a better service than anyone else, but because they do not impose a cap on the amount of data I can download.

Its like a return to the bad old days of metered access with a dialup Internet connection and it really doesnt make any sense.  Surely they can see that as the speed of broadband gradually increases so will the amount of data that people will download.

There is an almost unlimited number of movies, software, games and music out there all just a few mouse clicks away and it seems to me that the allowance of 30 gigabytes a month just isnt enough.

To add a little weight to the argument, many households have more than one computer and small home networks are very straight forward to set up these days, so it should come as no surprise that the one internet connection may be used by one or more PCs.  As the available connection speed has grown, so too has the rich variety of content available and the associated size of the files we download.  It is true that there are some selfish individuals who do not play fair; they are permanently logged on to a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing network such as Kazaa or eDonkey and it has probably been this behaviour which has led to many of the internet service providers capping in the first place.

Unlimited boradband, ADSL Modem, internet providers (ISP) with download cap An always-on Internet connection isnt a license to download constantly and some of us are mature enough to use the service responsibly.  I tend to kick off my larger downloads overnight and avoid the peak times as you are vying for bandwidth with other users then anyway.  On average Id say with 3 PCs in the house we download anything from 20 to 80 gigabytes a month which I think is quite reasonable use of a 2MB ADSL connection.

The way people utilise their internet connection is going to fluctuate, and the 30GB cap or whatever it happens to be is still none the less, a very real psychological barrier.  I can remember a time back in the early 90s where with metered internet access, you would have to keep an eye on how long you had been online.  The same is true with the download limit only you think twice before downloading a large file.  How much have I used up this month?  Will I exceed my download limit?

Internet service providers are kind of at the cross roads with this at the moment and no one is sure if the capping thing will work.  Maybe all ISPs will be doing it at some point in the future, but until then I will always go for an un-capped service where possible.  Its one less thing to worry about!


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Daniel (bigmalletman)

Daniel (bigmalletman)

I don't know... I pay my Cox cable about $80 per month for their highest tier. I think they can get over it if I go over their dumb cap.
18/12/10 Daniel (bigmalletman)
6
DAno

DAno

My household has four computers using an O2 supplied 30gb ADSL line. They are dumping us because we over use our quota. I got involved with O2 because they advertise Unlimited down loads. All other IPs do the same. Im going back to IDNET. they give you a much better deal, when you go over your allotted 40gb you pay £1 per gb after that.
After trying many IPs IDnet do as they say, no surprises. I also found that down loads speeds where much faster than all others. 8gb provided IDnet was 6/7gbs compared with O2s 8gb advertised gave 1.2gbs. So they can cut me of Ive got a better deal waiting.
18/08/10 DAno
6
Mr_Rant_Pants

Mr_Rant_Pants

As far as I can see if they have a fair use policy then its not unlimited and I would stay well clear. I also feel thay should not advertise a connection as unlimited if there is a download limit.
I have spoken to several ISP's about their fair use policy and as soon as they say you get x amount of GB a month I say "well thats not unlimited is it! thats an x GB download limit!" and wait for their reply.
They normally say "you would need to be downloading 24/7 to reach this limit" I say "well no, so far this WEEK I have already used the amount in your fair use policy and all I have done is watch 5-10 tv shows on bbc iplayer and a few hours on you tube, downloaded updates and done a few hours online gaming a day. I havent been downloding 24/7 and still reached it. how much do you charge for a truley unlimited connection then?" The poor person on the phone just cant give me an answer. Im sick of this false advertising! If its a 3/10/40/100gb limit then sell it as such for gods sake! I should not need to wade through a ton of small print to see what the fair use policy is. If your selling it as unlimited then that should mean I can download 24/7 365 day a year with no restrictions.
Ofcom needs to do somthing about this ASAP in my opinion
08/07/10 Mr_Rant_Pants
2
Dude #1

Dude #1

What do you mean an "An always-on Internet connection isn’t a license to download constantly"?!?

Of course it is. I've paid for the bandwidth and I'm entitled to it. Companies 'overselling' their bandwidth capability has nothing to do with my maturity
10/05/10 Dude #1
2
I-HateTalkTalk

I-HateTalkTalk

What a stupid viewpoint. Unlimited should mean exactly that!!!
27/01/10 I-HateTalkTalk
7
Happy New Zealander

Happy New Zealander

telecom is now giving out unlimited usage till 2010 for all new zealand broadband users. sweet!

shame on UK. new zealand is peaceful and fair.
15/12/09 Happy New Zealander
12
edward

edward

They are selling us a Dream!!! BT and other isp providers, People need to wake up to this, BT is taking the piss unlimited, I DONT THINK SO! Great Britain is going down the toilet broadband is running like the M25 with road works, BT IS RUN LIKE EVERY BIG COMPANY BY GREED NOT BY SERVICE.
12/12/09 edward
8
Hope Seeker

Hope Seeker

Why can't ISP's show the sites I visit and download from. My mobile phone account shows who I called, when I called, the duration of my call, and the area from which I called. Surely if they are charging and updating hourly they must know all in info required. I don't mind paying but I like to know what I'm paying for - just like any supplier giving me an invoice. I don't want a plan. I want to pay on an itemised invoice. Is there any way of doing this ?
28/11/09 Hope Seeker
-11
helloooooo

helloooooo

im on orange broadband unlimited downloads and no fair usgae policy and only 10 pound a mounth because im on contract with them and 20 pound if you are not :)
01/11/09 helloooooo
6
W@nk Weasel

W@nk Weasel

Tiscali are poo poo poo poo. Ongoing problems with the router settings, and their helpline is 10p a minute, and their operators are foreign.
30/10/09 W@nk Weasel
-7
Jenny

Jenny

Eclipse Internet do an unlimited option with no FUP, and one with a 50GB limit during peak hours, and no limit overnight (11pm to 9am)
23/02/09 Jenny
-13
Dave B

Dave B

Supernautus you need to look at www.superawesomebroadband.com - this seems right up your street, but may be too expensive ?
05/02/09 Dave B
-8
Supernautus

Supernautus

You don't have to be downloading anything illegal to be downloading all the time, I download fansubbed anime shows, which are fine, as long as they are not being sold, and I delete those things from my hard drive once I have received them. I also play consoles online, which, with paid for downloads, accounts for a large amount of my downloads, pair that with programs such as steam, from which I may download three or four games a month (legally, after a purchase, I just purchased one which is around 20 gig so there goes most download limits) That can add up fairly quickly, without breaking any laws.

Yet, on an "Unlimited" package, I have, this week, been capped to 80kbps, which is not even broadband speed, it takes about ten minutes to load a page that would have taken seconds before, and any downloads are running at less than 10kbps. Calling something unlimited when technically, a fair usage policy, is a limit, should always be illegal, offering 8Mb broadband in a contract and promising no caps, then capping a person to 80kbps is a breach of contract, I have a month left on my current package and intend to change, trouble is, who out there has a decent fair usage policy, I have had 02 recommended, but it will cost around £22 a month, I can't get Be. I know sky provide a properly unlimited service, but I'm not sure it's possible where I live, being that there are no cable lines.
03/02/09 Supernautus
-13
Eng

Eng

.that ISPS using this network chipped in instead of constantly moaning about BT when things go wrong. I thank you if you have taken the time to read this and I would like to say to the customer who has signed up to unlimited Tiscali Broadband to check the small print and you will find that if you exceed the fair usage on your unlimited Broadband then your speed will be restricted between 6 pm and 11 pm, further to this BT Retail were one of the last ISP's to offer unlimited Broadband..... and let’s face it they didn't have much choice.
14/10/08 Eng
1
Eng

Eng

What all of you people have to realise here is that more than 99.9% of phone lines and cable are not designed for ADSL,they are only legally required to support speeds of a minimum 28 kbps. Broadband is a wonderful invention but the line is configured at the exchange for a digital signal. Now it is not financially feasible for companies such as Tiscali/Talk Talk/Sky to spend billions of pounds laying their own cables throughout the UK so BT are legally required to have a wholesale division for these companies to use to allow fair trading. Now the network is literally not capable of giving everyone unlimited usage and most ISP's are not allowed a contention ration of above 50/1 on a wholesale line ( LLU and Cable are sometimes higher ) and this is to ensure everyone has access. The problem is that years ago when companies such as AOL/Tiscali and others had such a small customer base they advertised unlimited* broadband even though they and the network were in no real position to offer it, anyway as the years have gone on and more people sign up to Broadband and competition gets greater and more competitive ISP's advertise unlimited even though it’s not available on a BT Wholesale line. The fact of the matter is the UK Broadband market is in a state because there are too many vultures using BT Wholesales lines. BT are trying to roll out a fibre optic network now and guess what none of the 400 ISP's who use BT Wholesale lines have volunteered to contribute to the cost. No matter what some of you may think BT is not some state inherited monopoly it’s about time .. cont
14/10/08 Eng
-5

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