Let's Talk Tech
Samsung throttles thousands of apps on the Galaxy S22 line of phones, but does NOT throttle benchmarks!
Samsung pulled an uh-oh! Let’s talk about what this really means, and respond to some of the comments and replies flying around tech blogs and on Reddit!
@garyeonhan Tweet with more info https://twitter.com/GaryeonHan/status/1499009797035008002?s=20&t=l55-4CzZ94C285zm-et6eg
Well done VZW.
Big Red as decided to pull the plug on their “Network Optimization” plans which would have throttled the data connections on the top 5% of heavy users. Droid Life is reporting on a company spokesperson’s comment:
Verizon is committed to providing its customers with an unparalleled mobile network experience. At a time of ever-increasing mobile broadband data usage, we not only take pride in the way we manage our network resources, but also take seriously our responsibility to deliver exceptional mobile service to every customer. We’ve greatly valued the ongoing dialogue over the past several months concerning network optimization and we’ve decided not to move forward with the planned implementation of network optimization for 4G LTE customers on unlimited plans. Exceptional network service will always be our priority and we remain committed to working closely with industry stakeholders to manage broadband issues so that American consumers get the world-class mobile service they expect and value.
Even more incentive to hold onto those unlimited plans if you’re still rocking one!
The truly unlimited party is almost over.
Via a press release, Verizon Wireless announced they will expand their “Network Optimization Policies” to include people on 4G LTE networks. Previously, only 3G “subscribers with unlimited data plans whose data usage is in the top 5 percent of all data users” were targeted. As more consumers are moving to LTE, now any heavy user will be affected.
Starting in October 2014, Verizon Wireless will extend its network optimization policy to the data users who: fall within the top 5 percent of data users on our network, have fulfilled their minimum contractual commitment, and are on unlimited plans using a 4G LTE device. They may experience slower data speeds when using certain high bandwidth applications, such as streaming high-definition video or during real-time, online gaming, and only when connecting to a cell site when it is experiencing heavy demand. (Note: Does not currently apply to government or business accounts that have signed a major account agreement.)
Of course, VZW would appreciate you not hammering their 4G network with HD Netflix streaming, but chances are pretty good they’re already throttling that anyway…
As we push more data intensive services to our phones and tablets, will a move like this change your usage or behavior? Will this make you more likely to consider changing providers when it comes time to sign a new contract? Leave us a comment, and you can read the full press release below.
Continue reading “Verizon Wireless to Start Throttling Legacy Unlimited Data Plans”
Colin Nederkoorn pays for a 75Mbps Verizon FiOS connection. That should be screamingly fast for streaming HD video, yet he often finds his video buffering and the quality regularly scales back to a mess of 8-Bit impressionism.
Connecting to Netflix directly, even a 320 x 240 resolution video at a meager bitrate of 235Kbps will often stutter. It’s an insanely frustrating situation to pay for that level of service and not be able to watch even the bare minimum quality video without interruption.
The funny thing is, when Colin connects to Netflix through a VPN, his video SCREAMS, chewing through 720p streams at 3Mbps without issue.
To over-simplify, the VPN masks the final destination for Colin’s web traffic, which means Verizon can’t see that he’s pulling info from Netflix. Suddenly that “Network Congestion” evaporates.
This is of course one person’s experience, so we shouldn’t extrapolate this as a company-wide business practice without more evidence, but it certainly doesn’t paint Verizon in a positive light, especially after their recent feuds with Netflix over who is to blame for streaming interruptions.