Verizon Planning on "Turbo" Network Speed Mode with Micro-Transaction Tiered Data

[NoBloatware]

All good points jerkwad, but I'd like to point out that in the US there are only 2 choices for extensive nationwide coverage: Verizon and AT&T. That's a duopoly and I think it would be naive to forget it. Prices aren't decreasing, consumer choice is limited, and carrier control is increasing and NONE of that would be happening if we had healthy competition.

 

[Tillmorn]

While jerkwad does make some valid points, this is my concern:

Once Verizon fully integrates this system across their network, I have a feeling that those of us who decide not to pay will see a huge hit in data speeds. Particularly on 4G devices, which I find odd since iPhone users typically, at least as far as AT&T are concerned, are the largest data hogs (ruling out the whole issue of using tethering as your ISP mind you). What this could potentially mean is that while on a 4G connection, we may be pushed down to 3G speeds for some applications, such as Netflix.

At the same time, this could be a potentially good thing if you're in a bind and need to download a couple of gigs worth of data quickly. Is it ideal and fair? No. Then again, when has that been the case with Wireless providers since the outbreak of the smartphone era? Hell, I'm surprised Verizon allowed those of us with a 3G unlimited data plan to be grandfathered into unlimited 4G to be honest.

 

[jerkwad]

All good points jerkwad, but I'd like to point out that in the US there are only 2 choices for extensive nationwide coverage: Verizon and AT&T. That's a duopoly and I think it would be naive to forget it. Prices aren't decreasing, consumer choice is limited, and carrier control is increasing and NONE of that would be happening if we had healthy competition.

I'm not [too] naive to realize that we don't have many options here, emphasis on "too" lol. However, a monopoly/duopoly/triopoly/etc doesn't mean that Verizon still can't do these kinds of things. They don't sit in an "evil-empire" room and say "let's nickel and dime these suckers". They make decisions to increase their bottom line.

Do they think they can get away with this because there is only Verizon and ATT? Maybe, but even if they did, they are perfectly in the legal bounds to do this. This is a feature that you DON'T have to use AND one that isn't necessarily going to impact any of us (per the things I mentioned earlier).

The limited number of cellular telcos is irrelevant in this, discussion. Verizon isn't going to limit innovation (tongue-in-cheek) or limit expansion of their network or any number of other "profit-limiting-things" just because there are only two. I ALSO like having choices, LOTS of choices. Thank god women come in all kinds of hair colors, for example ;-) This isn't a conversation about why we don't have more cellular telcos. That's a different (and more depressing) conversation to be had.

I'm not trying to be argumentative - I'm not getting your point, I guess?

 

[benb1974]

is this there sly way around net neutrality

 

[jerkwad]

While jerkwad does make some valid points, this is my concern:
Once Verizon fully integrates this system across their network, I have a feeling that those of us who decide not to pay will see a huge hit in data speeds.

I think "Huge" might be a bit dire, but yes, we might see a few percentages in performance. Granted, this will be determined by many factors: Number of users on a single cell tower, the aggregate bandwidth for all users on the cell tower, the aggregate bandwidth of users on multiple cell towers (it all has to feed back to some common switching/routing infrastructure), etc. Many of the factors have nothing to do with prioritization.

Consider this: Next year EVERYONE is on 4G, there is no prioritization scheme in place, and everyone is doing Netflix over 4G. That is not a sustainable reality for Verizon. There is a limit to what they can support. I already envision better but not optimal speeds on 4G. The more people that go to that network the more congested it will become. As Verizon pushes 4G harder and harder, we can all expect our 4G experience to suffer, albeit still better than 3G speeds. I think it is unrealistic to assume that we will all have a minimum of 8Mbps (or more) at our disposal at any moment in time from a cell phone. Would I be happy with 5Mbps, hell yes. Would I be happy with 3Mbps, sure. Is that 2x as fast as I have now, yep! Am I paying anymore on my data plan for 4G, nope. That's not a bad thing for anyone to have happen, right?

The technology used to prioritize and optimize the network is going to be very important here. I don't think 95% of us are going to notice a thing. Let's face it, how many people actually check their data speeds anyway? According to the android market about 60,000 users (evidenced by the downloads of the two most popular speedtest apps on the market). I've downloaded that thing about 100 times (due to new ROMs, etc). So i'm sure that number is less when you start considering unique users/phones. My point is, speeds will go up for 4G users, no question. But we are all living in a 4G-pipe-dream if we think we will see consistent 8Mbps speeds 24/7/365.24 as 4G becomes mainstream.

Particularly on 4G devices, which I find odd since iPhone users typically, at least as far as AT&T are concerned, are the largest data hogs (ruling out the whole issue of using tethering as your ISP mind you).

I'm not sure what you are saying here...are you saying that as the iPhone enters the 4G LTE realm next year we will be hit even harder because they suck down more data than any other phone manufacturer? I don't disagree that the iPhone prob eats more data, they are probably uploading the users coordinates every 3 seconds and a picture from the camera so that apple can trac....ahh, nevermind ;-) This point goes back to my comment above about expecting HUGE speeds all the time as 4G becomes even more popular.

What this could potentially mean is that while on a 4G connection, we may be pushed down to 3G speeds for some applications, such as Netflix.

I doubt we'll be shoved down to 3G speeds, but we could see less than optimal 4G speeds, i don't disagree. I don't think the small percentage of users paying for "turbo" mode will cause this nearly as much as just the fact that you will have a lot more users on 4G networks in the near future. Time will tell I guess. That being said, expecting to stream HD content to a phone via cellphone data networks, for 2+ hours at a time, is asking a lot when you consider the bazillions of people that Verizon services. I would much rather drop netflix from the conversation and worry about google maps updating quickly or getting my emails and attachments in a timely manner. The rest is fluff and should NOT take priority over essential services. Let's hope that verizon has some provision for prioritizing only certain traffic types by the applications that use them.

At the same time, this could be a potentially good thing if you're in a bind and need to download a couple of gigs worth of data quickly. Is it ideal and fair? No. Then again, when has that been the case with Wireless providers since the outbreak of the smartphone era? Hell, I'm surprised Verizon allowed those of us with a 3G unlimited data plan to be grandfathered into unlimited 4G to be honest.

I wouldn't say this isn't "fair". I would say this isn't "ideal". I agree 100% that in a perfect world we would all get great speeds all the time. However, I'm wide awake, no dreaming here ;-) Verizon HAS done right in enough areas that should not be overlooked. Superior coverage? Yes Good/Great selection of phones? Yep, that too. As you mentioned, the grandfathering of 3G unlimited users to 4G unlimited is amazing. They didn't have to do that, most likely. I lost my unlimited when converting to a Family plan (only for my primary line, wife still has unlimited on hers). Was I happy about it? No way! Do I understand the need for Verizon to do it? Yes, enough to not throw my phone at the Verizon technician, insult her mother and storm out of the store ;-)

I'm not some Verizon wh*re, I just try to stay impartial to balance out the rest of us ;-) lol

 

[Abadus]

My 4G speeds are between 12 and 30Mb where I am right now. I get 8 at work. I don't see why I would need more. It feels plenty fast. Now I do agree if they start to throttle me I will be pissed.

 

[jerkwad]

is this there sly way around net neutrality

This is no different than me paying more money to have higher data speeds on my FIOS network at home...it IS tiered data speeds, so by definition this MIGHT be related to net neutrality. Does this mean that eventually Verizon will be charging all of it's customers the same price for the FIOS network? This is a serious question: I don't know, but I doubt this will violate net neutrality laws...

 

[jerkwad]

My 4G speeds are between 12 and 30Mb where I am right now. I get 8 at work. I don't see why I would need more. It feels plenty fast. Now I do agree if they start to throttle me I will be pissed.

Stop rubbing it in our 3G-faces ;-) haha Those are awesome speeds. Any experience with Netflix at 8Mbps (while at work)?

 

[davishusband]

They don't want their bloatware slowing down when its spying on you!

 

[tjk629]

I'm cool with my current LTE speeds. So I don't see me spending the extra to get a "boost".

Though, I could see how if you did stuff like video conferencing or webinar stuff (thinking hotspoting) where this may be useful.

 

[Abadus]

Stop rubbing it in our 3G-faces ;-) haha Those are awesome speeds. Any experience with Netflix at 8Mbps (while at work)?

Naw don't do nexflix anymore. It is funny when you download and install an app though people are always shocked at how fast it happens.

At work it does a lot of 3g 4g switching so it hurts the battery a bit. the leaked OTA's are helping with this though.

I pay $40 a month for my Uverse @ 12Mbs. If I could pay $30 a month get unlimited and have somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10 MBs I would be alright. As it stands now my speeds are all over, I don't need more but I don't want to pay more either

 

[tjk629]

It is funny when you download and install an app though people are always shocked at how fast it happens.

I KNOW!

I love showing off LTE speeds. It blows people away.

My brother was over one time and was talking about speedtest.net. Wondering what we get from our home ISP. He's looking into getting a smart phone soon and was talking about WiFi and what not with it. I then started talking about how rarely I use WiFi on bionic because of LTE. He seemed a little skeptical about what I was saying; so I showed him some speed tests I got on LTE. 12mbps+ and what not. His reaction?

Him: Oh is that on WiFi?
Me: No, cellular network
Him: :blink:

 

[TheOldFart]

This is no different than me paying more money to have higher data speeds on my FIOS network at home...it IS tiered data speeds, so by definition this MIGHT be related to net neutrality. Does this mean that eventually Verizon will be charging all of it's customers the same price for the FIOS network? This is a serious question: I don't know, but I doubt this will violate net neutrality laws...

Correct. Same with my RoadRunner. There are tiers, with and without turbo boost. Then there are business accounts. The more you pay, the higher your priority and speeds. What is the problem with that? Get used to it people. Anything that changes just results in a bunch of moaning before anyone knows what it impacts.

 

[SquireSCA]

This is why at some point, there will be a new carrier. Someone who sees the increasing demand for a solid, reliable service that doesn't look for every absolute opportunity to rape you, and when they figure it out, people will flock to it in droves.

I pay $130 a month for my unlimited plan. I don't need to pay more to get the performance that I am supposed to be getting right now. At some point we as consumers have to ask ourselves, who much is enough?

Everyone knows that companies want to make profits, but they are making money hand over fist. When do we get fed up and tell them to piss off? I already pay more for my cell phone than I do for DirecTV with my HD package, DVR, HOB and Starz pack, etc... My cell phone already costs double what my cable modem costs. My cell phone is already higher than my water bill and garbage bill combined. My cell phone already costs 3x as much per month as my HOA fees. My cell phone already costs more per month than insuring my truck and my motorcycle.

So I ask again, how much is enough? They keep adding new fees, new caps, new limits and don't give us anything in return for the higher prices that they demand. They keep charging more, and delivery less and I cannot wait for the day that someone steps into the market with a true, nationwide everything plan for like $50 a month. Because when they do, people will flock to it.

 

[davishusband]

This is why at some point, there will be a new carrier. Someone who sees the increasing demand for a solid, reliable service that doesn't look for every absolute opportunity to rape you, and when they figure it out, people will flock to it in droves.

I pay $130 a month for my unlimited plan. I don't need to pay more to get the performance that I am supposed to be getting right now. At some point we as consumers have to ask ourselves, who much is enough?

Everyone knows that companies want to make profits, but they are making money hand over fist. When do we get fed up and tell them to piss off? I already pay more for my cell phone than I do for DirecTV with my HD package, DVR, HOB and Starz pack, etc... My cell phone already costs double what my cable modem costs. My cell phone is already higher than my water bill and garbage bill combined. My cell phone already costs 3x as much per month as my HOA fees. My cell phone already costs more per month than insuring my truck and my motorcycle.

So I ask again, how much is enough? They keep adding new fees, new caps, new limits and don't give us anything in return for the higher prices that they demand. They keep charging more, and delivery less and I cannot wait for the day that someone steps into the market with a true, nationwide everything plan for like $50 a month. Because when they do, people will flock to it.

...well said, that was beautiful!...and so true!

Proud of my bloated D3, I don't miss unstable roms on my D1 at all!