Are you one of those AT&T subscribers who are still holding on to your old unlimited data plan? Well, here is some good news for you. AT&T seems to have restructured its policies on managing networks, opting now to cease its practice of straight up throttling customers with heavy data usage.
The carrier categorizes its unlimited subscribers into two basic groupings depending on what type of mobile device is used. Those who own devices that are 4G LTE compatible are provided with a 5 gigabyte data limit on a monthly basis before their data gets throttled. Up until now, users of 4G LTE mobile devices who go beyond their 5 gigabyte data allowance normally can expect their speeds to be slowed down for the remainder of their billing cycle, no matter how busy the network was during that period.
Now compare this to unlimited subscribers who own 3G/4G compatible mobile devices. These customers only have a 3 gigabyte data limit before they can expect to be throttled, but they actually only had their data slowed down during instances when the network traffic is at its busiest.
Back in January early this year, AT&T had vowed to address its data throttling issues, that is, as soon as the technology needed for amending its data throttling policies are made available. It appears that it is finally happening now, to the delight of its unlimited subscribers. As indicated in the carrier's adjusted policies for managing its networks, unlimited users who own 4G LTE devices who go beyond their 5 gigabyte data limit every month will now also only be slowed down when the network is congested.
This development is certainly music to the ears of those who have experienced being throttled for the rest of their billing cycles, especially during months of heavy data usage. As for AT&T, by reworking its policies on managing its networks, the carrier has found itself joining other major wireless carriers such as Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless in adapting new strategies for optimizing their networks.
Of course, AT&T is not the only major wireless carrier taking flak for data throttling practices. T-Mobile has also been accused of throttling its unlimited subscribers, although the carrier is quick to note that subscribers with slowed down speeds are actually experiencing T-Mobile's data prioritization. In this scheme, the top 3 percent of data users each month are prioritized below the remaining 97 percent. Sprint utilizes a similar method, but it slows speeds for the top 5 percent of data users.
