Home
News
You are here

AT&T begins using scary tactics for its top 5% of data users

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Sep 30, 2011, 6:46 AM

AT&T

Add us as a preferred source on Google Search

AT&T begins using scary tactics for its top 5% of data users

Subscribers are already beginning to receive AT&T's promised warning messages for throttling download speeds on the top 5% of its data users. One Reddit member nicknamed skelatwork has posted a screenshot of its own warning message, which was received when he went a little over 11GB of usage for the month.

It's interesting that a week ago skelatwork writes how he got a text too, and switched to PDAnet, which allows you to hide usage from the carrier's counters. Since the date on the message he posted is from yesterday, we assume that's another warning now.

In June, AT&T announced that it will be throttling speeds for the heaviest 5% of its data users, since they are skewing the network usage for the rest quite a bit:

Starting October 1, 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. Before you are affected, we will provide multiple notices, including a grace period.

October 1 is tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see reports from people who got this AT&T message whether their download speeds have been throttled, or the promised grace period enacted.

source: Reddit via 9to5Mac

Get a free Galaxy A17 with Straight Talk. To claim this deal, you need to pair the phone with activation on a Silver Unlimited Plan or higher. This tier costs $45 per month. Offer valid through 01/10/27 while supplies last online.

Buy at Straight Talk

View Full Bio

Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.