Originally Posted by Thine Wonk:
“Data use is data use, but unlimited on a phone is typically going to be be, browsing, email and limited streaming while travelling etc.
When they offered unlimited tethering people were using it for mainstream home internet use, using it for downloading full size PC games on steam, many hours of streaming, you wouldn't sit and watch 4 hours of content on your phone on a daily basis (majority won't) but people will watch a lot more on a big screen. Windows updates can be 100s of megs, as well as other software, desktop browsers pre-fetch more content by default, cloud sync and storage on desktop drives, etc etc etc
They are selling a phone plan, so the primary use of data is designed for the phone, it is nice to have an extra 4GB for tethering and portable hotspot and it means that the plan is profitable for the network, the amount of users previously using it heavily for tethering was adversely affecting the network for the majority of ordinary mobile phone users.”
Exactly.
Companies offer "unlimited" products (internet, buffets, gym membership) on the basis that they'll get people:
- Using it a lot making them less profitable
- Using it an average amount (profitable)
- Hardly using it (very profitable)