When looking for an internet service many consumers are attracted to uncapped Internet services in anticipation of unlimited use at high speeds, however, most quickly become disillusioned with their service when the limitations included in the fine print kick in. So why is uncapped really not uncapped at all?
Uncapped data contracts seem to promise unlimited downloads for a set price, making them appear to be a very attractive option, but almost all internet service providers (ISPs) include what is called a “fair usage policy” (FUP) or “acceptable usage policy” (AUP), often hidden in the fine print of your contract. These policies stipulate the limitations on the speeds and availability of the connection; limitations being something that you’d not expect from a seemingly unlimited connection.
When these limitations are exceeded, the ISP can and will impose restrictions on your service which can severely hamper your connection’s performance, often so much that the connection becomes virtually unusable.
Most uncapped data services are contended, meaning that a data “pipe” is shared between a certain number of users – the data available at a single distribution point is shared by multiple connections to that distribution point and so on down the chain which means that if everyone uses the connection at the same time you only get a fraction of your headline speed. Its a bit like turning all of the taps on in a house at once and then wondering why the water pressure is not that good.
A contention ratio of 1:10, for example, means that the connection is shared between ten people, so a 4 Mbps connection would be shared between ten users. The lower the contention ration, the fewer people are sharing the pipe. This sharing is not necessarily equal though since it depends very much on who is using the connection for what.
You might also come across a “shaped” service. This is where the ISP places a higher prioritisation on certain types of data traffic, meaning that the available bandwidth is allocated to this type of traffic first, and everything else uses whatever is left. For example, web browsing traffic and VoIP may be prioritised whilst video streaming is way down the list. So If one or two users make use of the connection for prioritised data traffic, the bandwidth will be allocated to them first, leaving the rest of the users to make do with the remaining bandwidth. Since video streaming is seldom given high priority, a subscriber who expects to be able to watch unlimited Netflix may have a substandard service if there are other users taking up the bandwidth for prioritised traffic.
Whilst an FUP exists, essentially, to protect all users of a single pipe from any one user taking advantage of the whole connection all the time, the way it is enforced can take subscribers by surprise and not necessarily in a good way.
ISPs generally adopt one of two FUP approaches. The first is a quantity-based approach where the subscriber can use as much bandwidth available until he has reached a Soft Data Cap, say 50GB. Normally once that data cap is reached the connection will be severely throttled, although they will still have a service at a reduced sped it is normally unusable for things like streaming video.
Unfortunately, users aren’t always able to monitor the usage on their connection, particularly where children have free access to it, so it is possible for a subscriber to reach the limit on their FUP within the first week or two of the month’s service, leaving them with next to no service for the rest of the month and rendering their connection almost useless.
The second approach is time-based. The ISP allows each user a specific amount of time per day to use the connection at full speed. This can be in specified increments such as one hour at a time.
Each ISP has different specified increments and it is important that users take note of this in their FUP.
What makes this approach preferable to the quantity-based approach is that users still have a service for the entirety of the month and, by limiting all users equally, the reduced service is generally still usable.
Capped services are usually unaffected by FUPs since users receive the full benefit of the speed of their connection until they have reached their data cap. Capped services also normally come with an online tool which allows yu to monitor your usage and find out just how much you have left.
If you do reach your data cap you will almost certainly be able to top up your data by buying a voucher or token fro your ISP. This is often necessary when you have a particularly busy month liek this month when you may have guests or family staying with you over the holidays. In a lot of cases Capped services also come with a Free Data period when data is not measured and you are free to use as much as you can eat. For exapmple i-SURF’s packages include free overnight data from 11pm to 6am everyday so you can download all of your box sets and movies overnight without affecting your data cap.
If you decide to opt for an uncapped service, you need to familiarise yourself with your ISP’s FUP before signing up to ensure you aren’t left with a useless service for the better part of a month due to the FUP kicking in. You also need to make sure you know what the contention ratio is and whether it is high or low.
Finally, it makes sense to select an ISP, like i-SURF, that offers the flexibility to allow you to change your contract where required. Such as upgrading your service to a higher data cap or even downgrading your service because your circumstances and usage has changed.
i-SURF only offers Capped broadband services using our state of the art Satellite Broadband technology for more information contact us here.
