Verizon to throttle data speeds, "optimize" media 46
With the iPhone 4 set to land on Verizon Wireless later this week, Big Red looks to be taking some steps to control the flow of data over their network. Effective on February 3rd, Verizon intends to begin throttling data speeds and optimizing media content. This was all tucked away in a PDF updating Verizon’s terms and conditions.
First up is the data throttling, which could apply to the top 5% of Verizon data consumers:
"Verizon Wireless strives to provide customers the best experience when using our network, a shared resource among tens of millions of customers. To help achieve this, if you use an extraordinary amount of data and fall within the top 5 percent of Verizon Wireless data users we may reduce your data throughput speeds periodically for the remainder of your then current and immediately following billing cycle to ensure high quality network performance for other users at locations and times of peak demand. Our proactive management of the Verizon Wireless network is designed to ensure that the remaining 95 percent of data customers aren't negatively affected by the inordinate data consumption of just a few users."
We can see the top one or two percent, but one out of every twenty data subscribers? To us this flies in the face of consumer friendliness, but Verizon hasn’t exactly been a standard bearer of good practices recently. What really stings is that Verizon will not only throttle your data an unspecified amount for the remained of the current billing cycle, but also the next. Here’s hoping you aren’t depending on downloads over Verizon to do your job.
Next up is Verizon’s new media optimization policy:
"We are implementing optimization and transcoding technologies in our network to transmit data files in a more efficient manner to allow available network capacity to benefit the greatest number of users. These techniques include caching less data, using less capacity, and sizing the video more appropriately for the device. The optimization process is agnostic to the content itself and to the website that provides it. While we invest much effort to avoid changing text, image, and video files in the compression process and while any change to the file is likely to be indiscernible, the optimization process may minimally impact the appearance of the file as displayed on your device."
Yep, Verizon’s going to compress and reformat your media files server-side before you download them. Here’s hoping don’t like looking at hi-res images on your phone or streaming high-quality video to your TV.
As you can imagine, we’re not fans of these new policies, just as we’re not fans of Verizon’s stance on net neutrality. We know Verizon and the carriers don’t want to be just “dumb pipes,” and we can appreciate that they want to manage the impact of the proliferation of devices that make it easier and easier to download content, but we, like you, don’t want our content modified along the way.
46 Comments
Here's to hoping for a new phone on Sprint. */fingers crossed/*
Please, Please, Please, HP, for the love of GOD put at least one of the new webOS devices on Sprint!
This is exactly why when my contract ends with Verizon Wireless in October 2011, I am going to Cricket. I am sick and tired of being told I can't have a decent PDA phone without having to pay $30 extra a month to use it (AT&T included).
Bottom line I'm taking my old Alltel Palm Treo Pro over to Cricket, and enjoy unlimited minutes and unlimited text messages for $35.00 a month.
I am not surprise this is the kind of thing i expect them to do. Obviously with the iphone coming they are putting on the reigns from the get go. As for me waiting for the 9th to see what webOS goodies we have on Sprint(plzzz).
Definitely don't plan to get an iphone or switch to "Big 'control the consumer' Red".
Wow, for a moment I was planning on movieng to VZW if there was no new WebOS phone for Sprint... Ill stay with sprint, save my money and enjoy my speed - the only govanah I want in my wireless is the one that makes my pre 1ghz :-)
C'mon HP give us sprint pre- owners some love love love!
Notice they keep changing the way they charge for usage, yet they never automatically give you a refund for network outage or dropped Calls (att). If you call and complain loud enouhg they will give you a credit, but you have to call.
I think we have a Verizon Day on March 15th, and everybody with a Verizon cell phone, or Card, load multiple videos one after the other from 8am to 12 noon. They cant possibly put everbody on limited access as there wont be a top 5%.
Just my opinion....
Welcome to Verizon, we will be happy to limit your bandwidth, screw with your content, and cripple your device. Last but least we will offer these wonderful features at a higher rate then the competitor. Thanks again for your $$. Coming soon! New ways to make you spend more and get less. Lol. I love my Sprint plan.
Well, don't forget that Verizon is still the only (US?) network that allow your iPhone to make a call and surf the net at the same time! What amazing technology! Gee, I wonder why Palm didn't think of that? ;-)
Umm Verizon doesn't allow you to Surf and Make a call at the same time, unless you are on Wifi
Actually, those are GSM networks. Verizon is CDMA and the current technology, EvDO Rev. A does not allow for it. The next generation of EvDO (still 3G, not their "4G"), EvDO Rev. B/EvDv, allows for simultaneous voice/data.
Actually EvDo Rev A has the capability, they just don't implement it.
I'm pretty GoBears is being sarcastic.
Hahahah I LOVE that image, good work Mr. Kessler.
Yeah, it took me a second after reading the article to get why the image was blured. Well done Derek.
O-M-G, I didn't realize that was on purpose until I read Skippy07's comment.
So freakin' funny. I feel like a total doofer for not making the connection. I was like 'What is up with this image not rendering completely?'
me too... DOH!
Well... I'm no fan of Verizon's data plan pricing (which is why I'm on Sprint), but as Spock and Kirk would say "The good of the many outweighs the good of the few." Would you rather a) be cut off at 5GB b) be charged overages at 5GB c) pay even MORE for UNLIMITED unlimited or d) pay Verizon prices for AT&T quality because the network is overloaded? Ok, that last one was dumb, if you wanted to pay Verizon prices for AT&T quality, well, that's just AT&T...
Another place they charge money is 411 calls. you make one call, they charge you for 4. You may hang up on a 411 call before anyone picks up, but you still get charged.
Vote with your wallet people, why anyone is on Verizon is beyond my comprehension.
att is the only network allows data and voice call at the same time. It is the Network Technology that allows it. att decided on using equip that gave it that specific feature. I used to work for att and this was a major decision to go to voice/data at the same time. Verizon says they will have it soon. Coming in a few months or years??
Wow, server-side media transcoding... Can't imagine that being anything more than reducing frame size for streaming 1080p video to the native resolution of the target device. Right now that gets done by the phone itself.
and limiting throughput... What is the limit? If it's to cap it to current 3G speeds, I can live with that. But if they are reducing below that, it would be 1x speed fail.
but, the BIG question is whether this will apply to sprint users roaming on the vzw network.... Anyone think sprint users won't be impacted by transcoding and bandwidth limits? Hmmm...
Typical Verizon! 'Tis one of the reasons I am still on Sprint. Please, HP, give us a new webOS phone on Sprint!
And think, if you own an LTE device, you will hit that upper limit really quick. I know their iPhone is CDMA but it sounds like this is across the board to include LTE devices also. Gotta love Big Red, it will put you in the Red really quick.
This is like when people tell you sex with a condom is the same. Its not, it just is not!
True, but it is safer for all. It reduces your impact on the other person you are 'communicating' with.
hmmm..and they have around six million pre ordered Iphone customers...they must be pissed
They are not pissed because they dont read tech blogs or the fine print... that is why they ordered an iphone.
Yeeeeaaah iPhone have that effect on carriers. That's why I hop Sprint will NEVER carry this facade.
I hope Sprint doesn't take this as a cue for them to downgrade their service too. Just let Verizon keep screwing it's customers and give people a nice soft place to land when they jump off of the V!
Please be aware that all carriers have the option to throttle data speeds at peak times of the day. Sprint does this for their 4G customers right now. The impact is just not that significant due to the tower traffic.
Also 4G speeds are not considered 4th Generation Technology. It's a marketing strategy literally made up by carries to acquire new customers. Throttled LTE data speeds most likely will be the same speeds as Sprints un-throttled 4g. Have fun on Verizon, your traffic just increased by the million!
Verizon should put less money into server side trans-coding and more money into beefing up their pipes if this is really an issue they're having.
I can certainly see wanting to limit a certain percentage of top tier downloaders, particularly the ones running torrents. If you want to do stuff like that then plug into a landline.
But 500,000 people is probably more than are actually violating a true fair use standard.
Off subject but it's the last day to vote for WebOS in the OS Bowl!!
Let's hold it down for our OS people!
www.laptopmag.com
Sprint ftw...
VZ = FAIL while paying out your a$$
I don't get why everyone says Verizon is expensive. Sprint charges 189 for two lines with unlimited data.
I'm charged 135 after tax with two Palm Pre+ and unlimited data with hotspot.
Even if I add a text plan it won't hit 189 for two phones. Oh well. I guess they just feel expensive...
@jamhandman You don't get it because you are not comparing the same plans. Sprint's Simply Everything plan for 2 lines ($189.00) means just that--EVERYTHING! Try adding Unlimited CALLING to ANY NUMBER (Mobile and Landline), Unlimited TEXTING to ANY NUMBER (including LAND LINES), Unlimited WEB Surfing (DATA), FREE GPS NAVIGATION, Sprint TV and Radio and see what that plan on Verizon will cost you. You will be surprised how much Verizon is fleecing you!
Ahh ok. I'll try a different plan then... ok you are correct the Everything Data Family is 129.99, that's much better. :)
I have seen the light.
my brother just got his iphone in the mail today from verizon.
LOL! Yeah you go to cricket! Lol. They aren't gonna cater to to, let alone they have the absolute worst spotty service and call dropage and their data is limited to 2G. So yeah go enjoy what you pay for.
what the heck man. all we have in my little town is Verizon or if you want you can walk to the school and get a weak sprint signal (im not willing to walk a mile to make a call). this really will hurt small towns where we use phones more than computers.
just give me a palmpad so i can use my own internet and use my phone when im desperate.
Hence why I have always been a Sprint customer. They simply have the best data plans on the market.
I will never switch to Verizon because of their data policies, and AT&T is a joke.
I hear T-Mobile is fair, but there are no webOS devices for them!
This is exactly why my family ate a 265 dollar etf to jump ship to sprint a month ago. With my phone and wife and daughters we are saving 40 dollars a month and my daughter has a palm pre instead of some cheap media phone. So in a little over 6 months we get our money back and everything after that is savings. Oh and more it will definitely be better quality and service. Way to go big red V! Lost paying customers right here.
Anyone know if this new friggin' policy can result in getting out of a contract with Big Dread without suffering the ETF? (Posted below is a statement right out of their Customer Agreement). As far as I'm concerned, crappier data service (excuse me, throttled) for a heavy user such as me sounds like a "material adverse effect" as far as I'm concerned.
Can Verizon Wireless Change This Agreement or My Service?
We may change prices or any other term of your Service or this agreement
at any time, but we’ll send you written notice first. If you use your Service
after the change takes effect, that means you’re accepting the change. But
if a change to your Plan or this agreement has a material adverse effect on
you, you can cancel the line of Service that has been affected within 60 days
of receiving the notice with no early termination fee.
yeah the only service I get in my town is verizon and most of the state of wyoming is about the same unless you live ine cheyenne the capital... So verizon pretty much has a monopoly out here
@TheCatHatMan I hear ya! I live in a town in NH that has Sprint service but 100 yards down the road you'd be roaming.
Man we are getting hosed all the way around.