Current state of Download Bandwidth Limits? *spawn*

[BRiT]

There are ways around that ;-)

Yeah I know about VPNs, but didn't they do a change-over where you need to (or will need to) have a TV License?

Since this is a new thread, let me ask the questions I want to ask.

Since the new PlayStation 4 Pro touts online video services to make the most of their 4K Video fidelity, the question in my mind is:

Where are we now with the bandwidth limits or quotas put in place?

Some are sure to still have insanely low limits like 500GB a month (or lower) so this isn't a real option to them. For myself, it's not an impact as I'm on a 2TB limit but that is a very rare situation in the US. I do find it oddly humorous how Sony was pitching physical media at the beginning of the generation to now have to pitch Digital Downloads in order to make the most out of their mid-generation platform.

 

[Scott_Arm]

The situation is bleak in Canada. 400GB is a LARGE limit. Go through the Rogers and Bell packages and they all have bandwidth limits under 400GB, many of them well under. It costs a ton of money to get unlimited from them, and they're the main two ISPs. With Teksavvy I have a reasonably affordable 400GB plan, but it's slow 25/5. I think to make it unlimited I'd have to bump my plan from $58 CAD to $70 CAD. If I wanted 100/10 connection it'd be $70 CAD for 400GB and $83 CAD for unlimited. As far as I know Teksavvy has the most affordable connections in my region.

 

[zed]

NZ, I have 100GB a month (more than enuf for me, I prolly use about 80gb), and with mobile = 0.5GB a month

 

[Scott_Arm]

I use over 200GB a month, I think. Streaming 4k would probably push me close to my cap or over it.

 

[rekator]

Well may be Sony think French situation need to be the norm… No limit!!!! ; )

 

[Rangers]

Funny, I just got a notice I was approaching my 250 GB limit. This has only happened like once before. However, I am only at like 211GB and there is only like two (now 0) days left in the cycle.

And I'm on the internet nearly 24/7. Even doing that, I used to only use like 60GB/month.

I think 2 things have changed, playing Destiny many hours. I never thought of it but apparently it uses a couple hundred MB an hour in traffic. And maybe watching more Twitch.TV (also destiny).

If you download a 60GB game during the month, even one, it's gonna take a significant chunk of your data though (I didn't do that this month, just Rise of Iron, only 12 GB)

Still, I dont believe there's any punishment for exceeding the limit. I'm not worried. You can sign up for higher tiers pf course, not sure how those cost. Current plan is 50 Mb down and whatever up for about $50 a month.

500GB is insanely low?? I dont see that at all. As I said, I used to use net 24/7 and only 60-80GB in a month before Destiny! Other than torrenting or downloading multiple triple A games, what could use such amounts of data? So yeah, torrenting (illegally cough)

I remember meeting one guy on a forum who was one of those crazy people, basically maxing his connection with torrents 24/7. I told him you cant possible even have time to watch what you download! Well he had to have the HD versions of all season of anime or something, not necessarily watching them, sigh...mostly contempt for those type of people.

 

[BRiT]

My Internet bandwidth limit was 250GB over 10 years ago. To think of a limit that is only twice that is insane once you consider the additional use cases that have developed: digital download games and updates, streaming HD movies and tv, streaming music, and video chats.

My coworkers who have at least 2 children constantly bump against their 500GB limits thanks to the joys of YouTube and video on demand. And no, they're not torrenting or usenetting, they're just watching videos.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

I have no limit other than my slowish download speed of approximately 7 gigabytes an hour. I can, and have, maxed that out weeks in weeks out and my ISP (BT) doesn't care.

 

[orangpelupa]

indonesia in a few select places (including my home):
20 USD
30 Mbps
Truly unlimited
monthly bandwidth usage varies widely (PS4 games is huuuuge)

My cousin, located just over that main road:
55-70 USD
5 Mbps
Truly unlimited

My friends
55-70 USD
10 Mbps
50 GB limit

 

[sebbbi]

No wired broadband subscriptions have data limits in Finland.

In big cities it is impossible to find anything slower than 8 mbit/s down, 1 mbit/s up (ADSL). Some mobile 3G/4G subscriptions have data limits, but every company seems to have unlimited option available for extra price.

Cheapest 100 mbit down / 10 mbit up (unlimited) wired broadband connections cost 19.90 euros/month in Helsinki area. So we are pretty well equipped to handle 4K streaming. None of my friends buy blu-rays anymore.

 

[DieH@rd]

ADSL [and more recently VDSL2] and cable users from Serbia by default can get only flatrate contracts, so bandwith limmits are not issue here for us. [with 1-2 year contracts] ADSL starts with 10/1 and go up to 100/2 [vast majority of people are limited by distance to 20/2, which costs around ~13€ per month], while cable starts at 30/2 [at same ~13€ per month] and go up to 150/6 [better coverage for faster speeds].

Optical is very rare, available only in two biggest cities [with not that big coverage inside those cities].

 

[mpg1]

The situation is bleak in Canada. 400GB is a LARGE limit. Go through the Rogers and Bell packages and they all have bandwidth limits under 400GB, many of them well under. It costs a ton of money to get unlimited from them, and they're the main two ISPs. With Teksavvy I have a reasonably affordable 400GB plan, but it's slow 25/5. I think to make it unlimited I'd have to bump my plan from $58 CAD to $70 CAD. If I wanted 100/10 connection it'd be $70 CAD for 400GB and $83 CAD for unlimited. As far as I know Teksavvy has the most affordable connections in my region.

Yeah but overall I think the speeds/plans in Canada have gotten much better over the past few years.

Not cheap but if you manage to get rid of cable and switch to pre-paid cell phone plan you save a tonne.

I switched to prepaid and its the best thing I've done.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

In the UK, we have to pay nearly £15 a month to the State-sanctioned BT Mafia for absolutely nothing, before looking for an internet package on top of that...

 

[Deleted member 11852]

In the UK, we have to pay nearly £15 a month to the State-sanctioned BT Mafia for absolutely nothing, before looking for an internet package on top of that...

No you don't. There is Virgin, Hyperoptic and other fibre infrastructure providers and a growing number of 4G wireless ISPs. None of these require you have, or pay, BT anything.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

If they're available in your area. And if you want/need a landline (copper ADSL) you have to pay the BT Tax, even if it's included in your own service providers costs. eg. I'm on TalkTalk and the 'line rental' is paid to TalkTalk, but it's their protection money to BT. I'd be £13 a month better off if not for this bizarre service monopoly.

 

[Scott_Arm]

I don't torrent at all and I'm around 200gb a month. Pretty much all netflix. Netflix is up to 3GB per hour for HD. Throw is game, os patches plus some game downloads or beta downloads.

I have no limit other than my slowish download speed of approximately 7 gigabytes an hour. I can, and have, maxed that out weeks in weeks out and my ISP (BT) doesn't care.

ISPs in Canada have very expensive penalties for going over your cap.

 

[Scott_Arm]

No wired broadband subscriptions have data limits in Finland.

In big cities it is impossible to find anything slower than 8 mbit/s down, 1 mbit/s up (ADSL). Some mobile 3G/4G subscriptions have data limits, but every company seems to have unlimited option available for extra price.

Cheapest 100 mbit down / 10 mbit up (unlimited) wired broadband connections cost 19.90 euros/month in Helsinki area. So we are pretty well equipped to handle 4K streaming. None of my friends buy blu-rays anymore.

20 Euros for 100/10 unlimited? I wish.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

I don't torrent at all and I'm around 200gb a month. Pretty much all net

For me it's the work VPN.

 

[Scott_Arm]

Netflix UHD is 7 GB per hour. Not sure if that includes HDR. A 400GB cap gets you 57 hours of Netflix UHD in a month. Less than 2 hours a day. Pretty sure a lot of households would destroy that. Once you add in all other browsing, internet use and downloads patches, it's even easier.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Netflix UHD is 7 GB per hour. Not sure if that includes HDR. A 400GB cap gets you 57 hours of Netflix UHD in a month. Less than 2 hours a day. Pretty sure a lot of households would destroy that.

Many ISPs use traffic shaping so they can artificially throttle streaming sites and Netflix works by adapting to variable network conditions by lowering (and raising) the stream's bitrate. The ISP's aim is to lower traffic and the result the user can watch more content albeit at lower bitrates. This is part of the net neutrality debate.