Ken's Tech Tips

5215208 Responseshttp%3A%2F%2Fcow.neondragon.net%2Findex.php%2Fwhat-does-500mb-or-1gb-internet-actually-mean-explaining-mobile-data-limitsWhat+does+500MB+or+1GB+internet+actually+mean%3F+Explaining+mobile+data+limits2012-02-08+19%3A30%3A02Kenhttp%3A%2F%2Fcow.neondragon.net%2F%3Fp%3D5215 to “What does 500MB or 1GB internet actually mean? Explaining mobile data limits”

1. # joeon 17 Jul 2010 at 5:11 pm

   Thanks for this. I've spent a frustrating day trying to get salespeople to explain to me what they mean by "unlimited", but they failed. Now you've told me what I need to know. Ta

2. # YTTon 20 Sep 2010 at 2:12 pm

   This is really helpful. Thanks

3. # jakobon 26 Sep 2010 at 6:37 pm

   i just browse the web on a 1gb a month what dose it mean /.

4. # tomon 30 Sep 2010 at 11:09 pm

   have you not just read the above, it explains that

5. # jayon 04 Oct 2010 at 6:59 pm

   brill. thanks for this article!

6. # anneon 05 Oct 2010 at 1:16 pm

   This was extremely helpful, thanks!

7. # Richardon 06 Oct 2010 at 11:17 am

   What about opening say BBC website and then listening to the radio over the net? How much does this use?

8. # kcufrehtomon 17 Oct 2010 at 11:00 am

   500MB a month will be terrible for the iphone 4 i think! does it affect if u want to download apps

9. # Karlon 21 Oct 2010 at 1:02 pm

   Excellent article. Saved me a trip to the phone shop to no doubt be confused by a sales person!

10. # michaelon 22 Oct 2010 at 10:13 pm

    download them on itunes on your PC then sync them onto iphone would do the trick

11. # Internet Noobon 25 Oct 2010 at 5:25 pm

    ok, i hate to be so dumb and i know that it sais that with 1GB corrisponds to 3,000 rich web pages. but i am not downloading the web pages so why 3,000, is it a restriction or something?

12. # Kens Tech Tipson 26 Oct 2010 at 10:53 am

    Hi,

    When you browse a web page your computer/phone must download it before it can view it.

    Ken

13. # Hjalleon 27 Oct 2010 at 8:48 am

    Theoretically whenever you load a web page you 'download' the content so that you can see it, so you are downloading it. I hope i helped a little bit

14. # Caleyon 27 Oct 2010 at 11:34 am

    Thank you very much for this! I had no idea that when it says 'unlimited' there is still a secret limit on usage….i was going to take a more expensive contract as i thought 'unlimited' meant just that. I definitely wont be doing that now! Cheers for really good article!

15. # aceson 27 Oct 2010 at 2:16 pm

    When you actually watching the stream video you downloaded, will it separately use up your free GB for downloading and then for watching it?

16. # Kens Tech Tipson 27 Oct 2010 at 3:43 pm

    When we say that "download", simply think of that as "data transferred". If you're streaming video from the internet, data is being transferred from the internet onto your mobile phone. This counts towards your data usage limit regardless of whether you are streaming the video or saving it to memory.

17. # mazelon 29 Oct 2010 at 6:59 pm

    Thanks fr ur article. I have few questions. I just got a new blackberry 8520 contract, the data usage allowance is 500mb.

    If I turn off Mobile O2 Network in my Manage Connection settings and turn on wifi instead, and use wifi to browse and download webpages, will that also contribute to my monthly 500mb allowance ?

    Are there ways in which I could track my internet usage ? like, just to check how much MBs do I have left to use?

    thanks much.
    cheers

18. # Kens Tech Tipson 30 Oct 2010 at 1:53 am

    Hi mazel,

    If you connect through your wi-fi network, it won't count towards your 500MB download allowance. With regards to your second question, you can find out by logging in to the "My O2" section of the O2 website.

    Hope this helps,

    Ken

19. # Drakeon 31 Oct 2010 at 4:54 pm

    Hi, I'm only 17 (new to tariff phones and just bought one last friday) and my dad pays for my tariff but i'm scared to use my internet cos i might over use it. My tariff is 300minutes calls, unlimited texts and unlimited internet (but it came up to be 500mb monthly). Now, i've read what it says above but i'm still a little confused about the 500mb internet part. Is this means i can use my Facebook/Internet/Games i downloaded, for 'free' for a month (everyday) and when my first monthly tariff bill is payed i can use it again for another month for free and so on?

    Plese could somebody reply to this! Thanks!

20. # Courtneyon 01 Nov 2010 at 9:24 pm

    Really good article, now I know what the figures actually mean it will help me alot.

21. # Camelon 06 Nov 2010 at 10:32 am

    Hi, thanks, this is very helpful. But I have one more question… How does 1GB correspond to skype calls? I.e. How much of my 1GB allowance is used in a one-hour skype call? And is this different depending on whether I am using WiFi connection or a 3G connection? Thanks very much!

22. # simonon 06 Nov 2010 at 4:20 pm

    I dont seem to have any mention of limits on my contract with orange but when I returned from a US trip recently i saw my bill mentioned £3.80 for internet data usage. I queried this & said I have never connected to the internet via a mobile phone. they told me I may have accidentlly pressed a wrong button! And this resulted in a £3.80 fee? YIKES! ( they did refund the money)
    How can anyone afford to do internet stuff by mobile? It could cost me £150 to check my emails!
    I have a Nokia 6700 BTW, maybe smart phones are much cheaper to connect?

23. # Kens Tech Tipson 07 Nov 2010 at 12:24 am

    Hi Simon,

    The chances are you probably do have fair usage limits on your contract but this is not why you've been charged this time. It's more likely that you've been charged for roaming internet which costs a fortune. We've got some more info over at http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/10-things-to-… and info about how to stop it happening.

    Ken

24. # jaseon 07 Nov 2010 at 6:18 pm

    or you could use a wi-fi connection to do all of your downloading and streaming and save your 3G for when you cant remember whats-his-faces name from that film you saw and get that strange urge to find out that instant…. tehe

25. # Jennyon 14 Nov 2010 at 10:57 am

    Thanks Ken – this is really useful – actually very reassuring as starting a new contract and was told about the 1GB limit which was concerning at the time, but now it's not!!

26. # Annsleyon 15 Nov 2010 at 7:14 pm

    I bought a prepaid vodafone internet package that allowed me up to 1GB over the course of 90 days. I bought it 2 weeks ago and it told me I had no more time left and had used my GB. I am abroad in Spain so I Skype with my parents a lot and watch TV on the internet and do research, but it seemed a little ridiculous. I went to ask the people at the department store I bought it at and they didnt really have any idea. Is it possible its incorrect or did I go through my 1GB using roughly 5 hours of skype and 10 hours of television and more hours of internet? Thanks for all the info!

27. # aileenon 16 Nov 2010 at 5:19 pm

    Hi – thanks for the very informative article. Currently I spend a fortune monthly on internet usage and all i actually do is browse facebook. I never spend long on there and can't actually get much of the app up – it's just really status updates etc. I also have 300 mins and unlimited texts in my contract and i stay within these limits. Now i want to go over to an iphone and am wondering if 500mb will be enough. like i say – all i do is browse the odd page or two of facebook a few times a day. i very occasionally look up something on google. that's it. at the minute it's extortionate the extra i pay so i want to make sure i'll be covered. any ideas anyone?

28. # Kens Tech Tipson 16 Nov 2010 at 10:37 pm

    Hi Annsley,

    Yep – if you're doing phone calls and television, you'll use up your data allowance really, really quickly. See the guide above, and our article about watching online video from your mobile: http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/watching-the-…

    I must say though… if you're abroad in Spain I would have thought that your internet allowance probably wouldn't cover data usage in Spain anyway.

    Ken

29. # Kens Tech Tipson 16 Nov 2010 at 10:38 pm

    Hi Aileen,

    Yep – 500mb should be plenty for you if you only check Facebook and use Google occasionally. It's usually pretty difficult to exceed 500MB unless you download music, videos or a lot of photos.

    Ken

30. # Das Phone Wunderkindon 24 Nov 2010 at 1:54 am

    I would just like to add that as a mobile phone sales person, i have (for the past 2years) broken down what 500mb, 750mb 1gb internet usage actually entails then relating it to that customer asking what they may use the internet for so they know what they can/cant use and what they will be limited to. I too find it strange when instore colleagues and other phone store staff dont know this info. I found it out off my own back, we've had this product in the U.K for about 2 years.

31. # Das Phone Wunderkindon 24 Nov 2010 at 1:55 am

    I once worked in a store where 1GB (1024mb) package was available for £5 ($8) on top of a monthly contract but many people didnt want it as facebook and youtube wasn't the "in thing". We pitched it to most customers because it was part of our job. Low and behold a customer ran up an EXTRA £75 ($119) on their bill for about 300mb of usage because they didnt want the add-on. They came in to complain but the customer was responsible for their own usage.

32. # Das Phone Wunderkindon 24 Nov 2010 at 3:03 am

    I have 1gb internet usage and i frequently – stream Youtube, watch tv via BBC i-Player, stream worldwide internet radio, use google maps, google street maps, check google for quick answers, wikipedia, about 5 push emails per day, download music tracks, heck oi networks in the day time and once tethered (use mobile as a modem) for about 5 hours and didnt go over.

    I’d recommend 250mb for light users, 500mb for regular and 1gb for heavy users. if you’re unsure just ask before you sit down and agree to anything.

    500mb gets refreshed every month. general internet and facebook will be fine. be carefull with games you download as 1. you have to pay for the actual game itself. If its £3.00, add £3 onto the bill. if the game is free thats ace! 2. Downloading a game will use more data than normal because your downloading it to your phone. 3. some games you can download BUT they connect to the internet to work, even tho you’ve downloaded it you wont physically have it. Just be carefull, read everything before you click on something.

    Nothing wrong with 500mb on an i phone 4 at all. If there was, a mobile provider wouldnt give you an i phone with 500mb of internet in certain package (usually occasional to frequent users) Ive worked in a phone store for 2years.

    bbc website is light usage. internet radio is streaming. depends on how often you’d be doing it. to be safe you’d need 500mb. you’re network should provide 500mb, 750mb or 1gb depending on your provider.

    Guess i cant be seen as being ‘too’ helpful lol.

33. # Kens Tech Tipson 24 Nov 2010 at 5:45 pm

    Thanks for your contributions – we really appreciate it! Yes there is definitely a lack of knowledge about download limits here in the UK and I commend you for outlining to your customers what they mean. It's a shame that not all mobile phone salesmen do the same!

34. # unsureincalion 27 Nov 2010 at 7:03 pm

    sprint has a deal for a laptop that has 500mb and i feel like one trip on the internet with use that up for the month. and considering california doesnt have 4g 'yet' im slightly worried about doubling my monthly bill. Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

35. # craigon 06 Dec 2010 at 12:34 pm

    you might want to change the 3 internet useages as they have now changed to 500 mb

36. # Kens Tech Tipson 06 Dec 2010 at 12:46 pm

    Hi Craig,

    Three changed the "unlimited" internet definition to 500MB in May and June of this year. Some customers who signed up in May/June can ask to have their internet allowance raised to 1GB. Three no longer sell packages with "unlimited" internet – all packages are now advertised with the actual limit (usually 1GB).

    Ken

37. # gunzteron 06 Dec 2010 at 6:41 pm

    will wi-fi connection abroad count as "roaming" and be chargeable? thanks i think you have answered most of the questions i had.

38. # Kens Tech Tipson 06 Dec 2010 at 6:44 pm

    Hi gunzter,

    No. Data downloaded over the wi-fi connection doesn't go through your network operator at all. There are no charges for using wi-fi from your phone except from the normal charges you incur for your home broadband service. If you use a public wi-fi hotspot, same again… no charges except from any charges which might be charged by the hotspot provider.

    Ken

39. # Vickieon 13 Dec 2010 at 2:11 pm

    Hello Ken

    Just wondering, I have 500 MB and would like to know how much do Skype calls use?

40. # twilighton 25 Dec 2010 at 3:47 pm

    i bought 1GB of internet, n quite expensive……….. but its not frm these mentioned networks
    it finished in a week………… didnt watch movies……….
    i used skype however, n facebook…….. tell does skype use that much of the internet that i buy??? it was a normal call, not even a video call…… plz help me i, need to buy it again……….

41. # twilighton 26 Dec 2010 at 9:33 am

    why doesnt anyone answer the skype question??? i am desperate to knw…. but no one seems to know or answer???

42. # Kens Tech Tipson 26 Dec 2010 at 2:38 pm

    Hi twilight,

    Sorry for the slow response… I was taking some time off for Christmas! Skype is a real bandwidth-hog. I'm not sure what the bitrate of Skype calls (and I've struggled to find a definitive answer anywhere). The audio quality of Skype calls is lower than that of music but bear in mind that during a phone call you are transmitting audio data both from the internet and to the internet. As a good approximation, you should consider Skype usage to be about the same as downloading music (maybe a bit less). My quick guesstimate is that an hour of Skype calls would use about 100MB so using Skype for even 10 hours a month would use up the entirety of your download allowance. This probably explains why you ran out of internet so quickly.

    Bear in mind that using Skype is also against the terms of use of most UK networks. The only exception is Three. See more information at: http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/how-unlimited…

    Hope this helps,

    Ken

43. # twilighton 26 Dec 2010 at 6:11 pm

    since i needed the info sooo badly……….. i searched n the conclusion of the search was that 1GB gives about 40 hours of skype calls………this apparent rule of thumb ppl have made up….!!!!!??
    ……… now i dont knw whats true n whats not,………..

    (more confused)

    i hope u can help

44. # Jimmy500on 29 Dec 2010 at 1:40 am

    I have a 1GB data allowance on my mobile plan and have never gone over it until last month. I use my home internet for most things, only use my phone occasionally for checking bank balance, maps (very rarely), checking sports scores, etc… Youtube and facebook are free (not counted towards the data allowance) and I dont download apps (at least not in the past 4 months) or use skype. I dont use email on my phone, dont stream radio…

    Could anybody tell me how i could possibly have used over 400mb in one go, on three seperate occassions?? I'm adamant that there is no way it happened but my phone company reckons it did. I wasn't doing anything new or unusual so i dont understand how this is possible..

    In the 3 weeks since my last bill i have been tracking my usage closely and only used a total of 140mb. Is it possible the phone company screwed up? And any ideas on how i could prove that i didnt?

    Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

45. # Kens Tech Tipson 29 Dec 2010 at 10:55 am

    Hi Jimmy,

    Sorry to hear about your situation but unfortunately it would be difficult for you to prove so now afterwards. If you've got an Android phone, download the "3G Watchdog" app (a similar app should be available for other platforms). It will allow you to view information on how much data you're using from your phone. You can set it to notify you when you reach a certain threshold, compare the stats from that with your networks stats and diagnose any problemaic apps.

    My inclination is that it might be to do with your YouTube usage… as far as I'm aware all networks count YouTube usage towards the data allowance and it's possible this could have pushed you over the 1GB allowance. And whilst Three allow free Facebook but this is only to 0.facebook.com… all other Facebook usage is metered. However, Facebook usage alone is unlikely to use up very much data.

    Hope this helps,

    Ken

46. # Flosson 30 Dec 2010 at 8:46 pm

    Hi can i ask ive just got a new HTC wildfire with 300 minits and unlimited tex the lady at Vodafone told me to take out 500mb of internet so i didant get a big bill so i told here i dont go on my phone on the internett she said it dosent matter as your phone uses internett all the time so i saide you had better put it on is this right and have i have i done the right thing thanks not very good at this sort of thing so hope you can help thank you Ken

47. # Kens Tech Tipson 30 Dec 2010 at 11:02 pm

    Hi Floss,

    With a smartphone such as the HTC Wildfire, you'll need an internet package to be able to use most of the features on the phone. For example reading your e-mail, updating Facebook, downloading and using applications, using the maps functionality and the turn-by-turn GPS navigation which is included in your phone. So even if you never open a web browser, you'll still need an internet package.

    If you really don't use any of those functions, you could disable internet connectivity on the device but you should be aware that most of the functions which set the Wildfire apart from a cheaper handset will not work correctly.

    Hope this helps

    Ken

48. # Flosson 31 Dec 2010 at 4:03 pm

    Hi Ken Thanks for the info so ive just put 500mb on will that be ok i dont do Facebook or gps as own sat nav i dont do email i dont look at eney thing on my phone as will use my computer at home for all that i dont trust Facebook and Twitter at all im not good with all that stuff so i only Tex and Make calles but i liked the look of the phone and its there if i do wont it so could you just tell me will 500mb be ok for me miss borring thanks Floss

49. # Kens Tech Tipson 31 Dec 2010 at 5:53 pm

    Hi Floss,

    If you don't use any of those features, you can disable data usage through the mobile network. There is more info over at http://www.mydigitallife.info/2010/04/30/how-to-t… – this will save you from having to pay for the 500MB data package. Otherwise, yes, 500MB will be more than enough for you

    Ken

50. # Flosson 31 Dec 2010 at 5:56 pm

    Thank you Ken as i find this most confussing so a big thank you for all your help and info thank you and Happy New Year Floss .

51. # Kens Tech Tipson 31 Dec 2010 at 6:05 pm

    Thanks for the kind words Floss. Happy new year and enjoy your new HTC Wildfire!

    Ken

52. # Yvonneon 01 Jan 2011 at 9:24 pm

    Hi
    I am thinking of purchasing from Tesco Mobile a Blackberry Curve and like that you can get it on a 12 month contract and not the usual 24 months. Do you have any feedback on this as I believe this is new Tesco Mobile offering Blackberry. It says 1 GB data, 250 minutes and unlimited text and feel that is ample for my usage. Unsure whether to get or not!

53. # Bozon 02 Jan 2011 at 10:38 pm

    Wow, so helpful, thank you so much! Unbelievably helpful! I have an iPhone 3GS right now with unlimited internet from a contract I got a year ago, I think that I may use over 500MB per month so my iPhone is absolutely perfect at the moment, I watch BBC iPlayer before I go to bed every night. I want the HTC Desire so badly though! Maybe I should just wait because my iPhone contract I think is 18 months so I should enjoy it for now! It's so annoying how you can't get unlimited internet on ANYTHING now! Very frustrating! I use the internet more than calls and texts! Anyway, what do you think I should do? Thank you so much for the help Ken!
    P.S. Just another quick question, I want a Phone for music, internet, facebook, streaming and apps etc (like an iPhone). Although I'm bored of the iPhone and am really concentrating on HTC'S, which HTC do you think is the best for me? Or any other Phone you think would suit me best? Thank you so much!

54. # Kens Tech Tipson 02 Jan 2011 at 11:15 pm

    Hi Boz,

    You'll most definitely go over your 500MB allowance if you watch iPlayer over 3G but you should be OK if you use it over wi-fi.

    You might be interested to hear that Three have just scrapped download limits and fair usage limits on "The One Plan". They now provide all-you-can-eat data. The HTC Desire is available for free on a £30/month tariff and I think it's a great phone

    More info & links at http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/three-offer-a…

    Ken

55. # Bozon 02 Jan 2011 at 11:33 pm

    Thank you so much for the help, I am currently looking at the Three plan right now. Thank you so much, happy new year!

56. # Kens Tech Tipson 03 Jan 2011 at 2:12 am

    Pleased to be able to help Boz! I hope you have a happy new year!

57. # Robert Greenon 09 Jan 2011 at 10:18 am

    I have just purchased an iphone 4 and have downloaded an app called tunein radio which cost me 0.59 which is no problem as I always listen to the radio but I am worried that if I'm listening to the radio on it that I am using internet data.

    Can anyone shed any light on this?

58. # Kens Tech Tipson 09 Jan 2011 at 10:46 am

    Hi Robert,

    I've had a quick Google around – it looks like TuneIn radio is an internet radio application so the answer is yes it would. The data usage would be in the order of that for downloading music tracks (listed above)… maybe slightly less depending on the quality of the streams that TuneIn uses. Bear in mind that when you're at home and connected to wi-fi, it doesn't count towards your download allowance… only when you're on 3G.

    Regards

    Ken

59. # goldieon 11 Jan 2011 at 12:07 am

    my daughter is using a virgin blackberry 9780 for 3 days and has a 1Gb allowance. she has downloaded 13 songs maybe over the 3G and not wi-fi. Could this take her over her 1gb as i have a bill for £70 in 3 days. Is this possible?

60. # Kens Tech Tipson 11 Jan 2011 at 8:38 am

    Hi Goldie,

    Sorry to hear about the huge bill… but 13 songs alone would not have taken her over the 1GB allowance. One song is roughly 4MB to 5MB so I would expect 13 songs to weigh in at around 65MB absolute tops – a long way from 1,000MB (1GB). Is this definitely a data charge as opposed to an expensive phone call?

    Ken

61. # Garry Blakemanon 13 Jan 2011 at 8:06 am

    thanks guys this really helps 500mb it is for me then

62. # Claireon 13 Jan 2011 at 3:55 pm

    Hi Ken

    Great article….all the answers I have been looking for on one page. I just have one last question. If I downloaded an App of a radio station is listening to that station classed as usage? I have a 2GB limit but only got it yesterday so weary of doing anything at the minute.

    Thanks a million
    Claire

63. # soumyaon 13 Jan 2011 at 5:04 pm

    i have taken 1gb so for this day how much it has charged to me can u reply for this plzzzzzzzzzzzzz

64. # Kens Tech Tipson 13 Jan 2011 at 7:00 pm

    Hi soumya,

    Which network and tariff are you on?

    Ken

65. # Kens Tech Tipson 13 Jan 2011 at 7:02 pm

    Hi Claire,

    Yes, radio station apps will typically stream audio through the internet connection and this will count towards your download limit. There is a great discussion of radio stations & data usage at http://james.cridland.net/blog/what-a-500mb-fair-…. In short, 2GB would allow you to listen to a 64kbps stream for 64 hours a month.

    Ken

66. # rosieon 01 Feb 2011 at 9:46 pm

    i have ordered blackberry torch 500mb usage will that be enough to browse face book (upload my photos) and download the free apps such as wasap and idioet tests??? thank you xx

67. # ddfjhjhon 01 Feb 2011 at 10:21 pm

    i was told i only had 2 GBs of internet on my smartphone. i wanted to know how much internet service i had and this helped alot

68. # Kens Tech Tipson 01 Feb 2011 at 11:57 pm

    Hi Rosie,

    Yep, I think 500MB should be more than suffice for Facebook and apps!

    Ken

69. # Tonyon 03 Feb 2011 at 10:21 pm

    Cheers for the helpful site, i think i'll just get 500mb now not 1gb so it will save me £6 a month on 3

70. # tsmon 08 Feb 2011 at 11:32 am

    i want to browse FB, occasionally google and use BBM-contract on vodafone would only cost me £20/month with blackberyy internet service-would 1 gb be enough to cover as this is the max allowed?i'd rather pay for more and not use it tbh as then i would feel safer knowing i wasnt running up a massive bill!

71. # Stephenon 12 Feb 2011 at 3:24 am

    A brilliant piece of straight talking, it's exactly whatI wanted to know in a very easy to understand way , Thanks.

72. # Dannyon 15 Feb 2011 at 8:37 pm

    So if i get a Galaxy S with 500mb of internet, i will be able to access facebook and other webpages like that with no limit in my monthly contract? or could i only visit so many times in a month?

73. # andyon 15 Feb 2011 at 8:54 pm

    HI just want everyone to be aware ,. the platform that is used to update your device will use diffrent amounts of data to some extreme and can be over the top of data 500mb usage for windows vista and less for xp version , so i have been told by (big pond ) Dose this problem also affect
    these phone type applications programs ?

74. # Flynnon 15 Feb 2011 at 9:56 pm

    Excellent info.

    My question is,: I have facebook and MSN messenger 'logged on' all day on my pc, if I have them 'logged on' on my Blackberry 9700, is this going to use up much data? (I would log them off at night obviousley). It would be cool to see the little red messege alerts as and when they come in on my Blackberry when I'm out and about.

75. # joeon 01 Mar 2011 at 11:50 pm

    You can use up to 500mb of data every month,check list above for what you can downlaod.

76. # Jane :)on 08 Mar 2011 at 10:06 pm

    I have just got a galaxy samsung with 1GB of internet, and this has really helped!
    at least now i know, i shouldn't have to worry about how much i'm using it etc …
    although i would like to know the same as Flynn – will staying logged in to a site mean i am using the internet constantly?
    Thanks

77. # Kens Tech Tipson 09 Mar 2011 at 7:46 pm

    Hi Jane,

    No. Staying logged into Facebook or another website does not mean you'll constantly be using internet – you only use internet when you access the website

    Ken

78. # Susanon 16 Mar 2011 at 3:55 pm

    I've just upgraded to my first smartphone, a BlackBerry with 500 MB of data usage. Your table suggests this equates to anywhere up to 500,000 emails a month, but does this mean both incoming (which I can't control) and outgoing mail (which I can)? And if I receive a mail with an attachment but don't open the attachment, does that save some capacity? Sorry to be so ignorant – I'm new at this game!
    thanks

79. # Kens Tech Tipson 16 Mar 2011 at 5:14 pm

    Hi Susan,

    Yes, this refers to both incoming and outgoing mail. However, chances are your phone won't automatically download every single e-mail – spam e-mail will probably be in a different folder for example and won't automatically be downloaded onto your phone. With regards to the attachment, the attachment isn't normally downloaded unless you open it. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on how your phone & e-mail application is configured.

    Hope this helps,

    Ken

80. # Susanon 16 Mar 2011 at 5:33 pm

    very helpful thanks Ken. I haven't got as far as email folders yet and assumed they would be identical to those on my computer. I'm also most grateful for your tips about data roaming – that's something I would never have thought of and for obvious reasons the mobile companies don't advertise it!

81. # Hannahon 20 Mar 2011 at 9:27 am

    Hi, i have 500mb of usage on my iphone 4 and wondered what this means in terms of downloading apps? does this mean im using up all my data allowance on apps alone??
    Also I bought a tv episode last nights and didnt realise it was 693mb but i was on a wifi network so does this count??
    Im a bit worried now about costs!!
    Thanks!

82. # Kens Tech Tipson 22 Mar 2011 at 2:05 am

    Hi Hannah,

    Hard to tell as applications can vary in size a lot – Angry Birds is 17MB for example whilst many other apps are <1MB. Data downloaded over a wifi network doesn't count towards your 500MB data limit so you're in luck!

    Ken

83. # Gardenia Mariaon 25 Mar 2011 at 8:54 pm

    Excellent article. 5 stars! *****

84. # louiseon 03 Apr 2011 at 9:43 pm

    What a brilliant article.
    Everything I've been searching for and summarised really well.

    Thanks a lot

85. # paulon 09 Apr 2011 at 2:05 am

    does streaming radio go heavy on usage.i luv my internet trance radio.

86. # jenon 09 Apr 2011 at 3:11 pm

    Great article. I just got a new blackberry with a new network, it has a 1gb data allowance. My old BB had BB unlimited, but I only use my mobile for emails and occasional facebook/twitter. I have connected to my home wi-fi and the wi-fi icon is on my mobile. I decided to download the apps I used on my old BB, had a few emails and tried a bit of web browsing, and afterwards I checked my allowance and it says I have used my whole 1gb in 1 day, even though I have been at home and connected to my home wi-fi. I tried calling the network up but after being on hold for 15 minutes and having my call answered by someone who couldn't understand my query, I gave up. Is it correct that my allowance is all used up in one day while connected to my home wi-fi?

87. # Kens Tech Tipson 09 Apr 2011 at 4:26 pm

    Hi Paul,

    Unfortunately it does yep. You should assume that streaming radio uses roughly the same amount of data as downloading music – around 1MB per minute of online radio.

    Online radio is encoded in 128kbit/s = 16kbyte/sec = 960kbytes/min = approx. 1MB/minute

    Ken

88. # Kens Tech Tipson 09 Apr 2011 at 4:27 pm

    Hi Jen,

    This is very strange: data through your home wi-fi connection won't count towards your 1GB data allowance. The data allowance applies only to downloads over the mobile network. Please do let us know if you find out what caused your entire download allowance to be used in a day: I don't have any ideas at the moment.

    Ken

89. # Kens Tech Tipson 11 Apr 2011 at 10:34 am

    Hi everyone,

    Thanks for all of your fantastic comments and suggestions. The entire article has just gone a rewrite to try and answer some of the most commonly asked questions: also I've added a dropdown where you can view download allowance information specific to a certain tariff (e.g. for O2 you have the choice between 100MB, 500MB and 1GB when you order your tariff so our dropdown will show you exactly what these terms correspond to).

    Please feel free to drop us a further comment if you have any questions about download limits!

    Ken

90. # Gerryon 11 Apr 2011 at 5:51 pm

    Thanks for the very useful guide. I'm a low user on 02's Simplicity 100MB a month tariff. You didn't mention using Google Maps as a satnav – how much data would that consume on, say, a one hour journey?

91. # Kens Tech Tipson 12 Apr 2011 at 11:36 am

    Hi Gerry,

    Thanks for your question. As I understand it, Google Maps GPS navigation on Android downloads road information in vector format (e.g. it just downloads the route and information on where the roads are, rather than image files of the map itself like some older version of Google Maps do. Hence I wouldn't expect it to use very much data – maybe a rough on-the-order-of estimate 0.1MB per mile. You could download the 3G Watchdog application for your phone, run it on a journey and let us know what you find out though!

    Cheers

    Ken

92. # zameeron 13 Apr 2011 at 9:46 am

    hi friends
    please can you help me, 1Gb internet , how many hours i can chat or PC to PC calling.

93. # Kens Tech Tipson 13 Apr 2011 at 6:01 pm

    Hi Zameer,

    Standard chat shouldn't use up very much data at all – they're just text-based messages so you don't need to worry about it. For PC-to-PC calling, do you mean voice/video calls whilst tethering?

    Ken

94. # Rogeron 15 Apr 2011 at 12:20 pm

    yh i know what you mean – that always happens! a lot of the time, if you are around a town or city, you can usually connect to a nearby wi-fi hotspot in a coffee shop or something for 'emergency googling'

95. # @78rideron 18 Apr 2011 at 7:46 am

    Interesting piece of article..very informative

96. # Rachelon 27 Apr 2011 at 9:15 pm

    Hi found the article very helpful, just have one question. Checking useage on iPhone under Cellar Network Data it has 'Sent' and 'Receive', do I add the two of these together to work out my current usage?

97. # amacon 28 Apr 2011 at 5:57 pm

    Great article, I've been flirting with my data plan limit (1GB) and now realize it's probably those short YouTube videos I peek at here and there. Guess they all add up! Thanks for giving it all some parameters, I'm sharing this with my colleague.

98. # Kens Tech Tipson 29 Apr 2011 at 4:23 pm

    Hi Rachel,

    Yep, exactly! Not sure if all networks will count "sent" data towards your download limit but usually it's pretty small compared to data received anyway!

    Ken

99. # Markon 03 May 2011 at 8:32 pm

    Hi. Can someone help me. I have just got the new I phone 4 and within the network section there are options to enable 3G, mobile data and data roaming. Can someone tell me what these are and the differences between them?

    Thanks

100. # Kens Tech Tipson 04 May 2011 at 10:08 am

     Hi Mark,
     The 3G toggle determines whether you can use 3G/HSDPA high-speed data on your phone. This sometimes uses more power than 2G but you'll get much better download speeds.
     The mobile data toggle determines whether you can use data over the mobile network at all – I'd turn this off only if you were on a tariff without inclusive data (otherwise you can still use wi-fi networks)
     Finally, the data roaming toggle determines whether your iPhone can connect to the mobile networks whilst abroad. Be aware that this will often cost ~£6/MB so it's strongly recommended you have this OFF. http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/10-things-to-…
     Hope this helps,
     Ken

101. # rayon 08 May 2011 at 8:42 pm

     looking to get htc hd7 from o2 with a 500mb bolt-on then also offers me moblie boardband at
     500MB + Unlimited Wi-Fi (30 days) £10.21 per month
     2GB + Unlimited Wi-Fi (30 days) £5.11 per month
     1GB + Unlimited Wi-Fi (30 days) £15.32 per month

     is this different to the data package or the same thing ??
     thanks

102. # Kens Tech Tipson 10 May 2011 at 10:51 pm

     Hi Ray,

     This is indeed different from a data package for your phone – I believe you're looking at mobile broadband (USB dongle) tariffs.

     Ken

103. # tony tibbson 11 May 2011 at 8:09 pm

     when it says 500mb mobile web does it mean that you can have unlimited time on the internet until the 500mb runs out or you have to pay for the internet ?

104. # Kens Tech Tipson 12 May 2011 at 10:28 am

     Hi Tony,

     Mobile web is charged by the amount you download rather than the time you spend on it. So the amount of time you spend on the internet doesn't directly affect your data usage: only what you do in that time.

     Hope that helps,

     Ken

105. # Marie-Louiseon 16 May 2011 at 2:35 pm

     I may sound really dumb by this but my partners sister has the HTC wildfire and her phone often shows a little 3g symbol near her signal bars (she is on tmobile). I myself am on 3 but get the letter 'R' showing, and as far as I am aware have the data roaming settings turned off. How do I know when my phone is connected to the mobile internet? (how do i do this even?) As I am paying monthly for threes text 500 (500 mins, 5000 text, 1gb internet), so far I have only connected to my home WI-Fi but am now worried that i'll get charged a lot extra due to this 'R' symbol which I am presuming means roaming, yet as mentioned I have turned off the data roaming facilities. I have downloaded various free Aps, visited websites using the browser and have my two email accounts setup, as far as i know using wifi only. I have the HTC Desire. Help! – thanks in advanced!

106. # Kens Tech Tipson 18 May 2011 at 10:55 am

     Hi Marie-Louise,

     Thanks for your comment. I'm unsure about the exact reason – but does the R symbol correspond to the fact you're roaming on Orange 2G? Although they've begun to turn it off in some areas <a href="http:// (http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/three-begins-2g-coverage-switch-off-have-you-been-affected-your-rights),” target=”_blank”> <a href="http://(http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/three-begins-2g-coverage-switch-off-have-you-been-affected-your-rights),” target=”_blank”>(http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/three-begins-2g-coverage-switch-off-have-you-been-affected-your-rights), there are still many places where it's active.

     Ken

107. # Chavdaron 26 May 2011 at 7:31 pm

     hello to all! first sorry for my bad English but i`m from Bulgaria! i have a one question! in my home me need from internet but we don`t have BT-line! and to make BT line is to expencive! that`s why i search a lot of deals in internet for offer and i think i found the right one! this is on 3 all-you-can-eat-data we will use my phone like HOT SPOT (like router) and the question is "we have 3 laptops and i must to know the speed for the internet from 3 Mobile? are the speed is good for us? thanks in advance and have a nice day all

108. # Beccaon 29 May 2011 at 7:15 pm

     i am thinking about getting a iphone 4 on three and i dont know what data useage to get as i want to use apps facebook occasionally google and msn chat wondering if you recomend the 500mb or unlimited as there is a slight price difference. also i was planning to get the £30 a month one with unlimited but i cant find it it says it would run out on the 31st of may do you know if it has stopped
     thank you

109. # Kens Tech Tipson 30 May 2011 at 10:52 am

     Hi Becca,

     500MB should suffice for Facebook and instant messaging applications. If you're looking to listen to online radio or watch online video, it might be worth considering the all-you-can-eat package instead.

     Ken

110. # Pippinon 06 Jun 2011 at 2:43 pm

     OK I know I'm a bit thick but age is against me so please be gentle. If I use my mobile for navigation York to London over a period of four hours. How much of my download allowance will I have used?

111. # Kens Tech Tipson 08 Jun 2011 at 12:19 am

     Hi Pippin,

     Very difficult to tell – is this Google Maps on Android? To be honest I wouldn't worry about data usage for navigation – it certainly isn't a lot! Maybe a megabyte – probably not even that much but I don't have any hard figures I'm afraid…

     Ken

112. # Georgeon 13 Jun 2011 at 5:43 pm

     I might be getting a Samsung Galaxy Ace and wondering if 500mb is enough. For Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and maybe an occasional photo upland. Enough?

113. # graceon 13 Jun 2011 at 9:49 pm

     So I'm looking at getting a blackberry with 1GB of mobile web it doesnt have 3G so will I be able, with this, to go on facebook and few times a day and possibly twitter and some other websites without going over my limit

114. # Kens Tech Tipson 13 Jun 2011 at 10:54 pm

     Hi George,

     For Facebook and Twitter – 500MB is more than enough. Occasional photo uploads should be OK (I presume you won't be uploading more than 40-50 per month). For YouTube videos, it might not – see the figures for online video in the table above.

     Cheers

     Ken

115. # connoron 15 Jun 2011 at 4:40 am

     1megabyte is actually 1024 kilobytes. If you didnt know that then i am skeptical about what else you may be wrong about in this article

116. # Annaon 16 Jun 2011 at 12:34 pm

     Hi
     Thanks for this article. I am a bit of a technoilliterate and it has been hugely helpful in explaining some basic terms. I want to upgrade my phone to an iphone 4. However, I want a £35 tariff that I currently am on and I really don't want to pay very much for the phone. I notice that Three is offering a 1GB deal on an iphone 4 for £35 a month and only charging £35 for the phone which looks pretty good to me. I wonder if there is a catch – what do you think?
     Also if i download applications such as games and have them stored on my phone – will I use up any MB's when I play games etc.. etc..
     Thanks

117. # Lily-Roseon 16 Jun 2011 at 7:59 pm

     hi there i am going to go away to tenarife in 1 months time to celebrate my Th and was wondering my hotel has wi-fi but will it still charge me even if im picking up a wi-fi signal

118. # Dick Hansellon 17 Jun 2011 at 9:57 am

     Hi Ken

     Great article and very helpful (even to an ex-IT guy!)
     Having worked in the industry for many years I'm appalled that there is still confusion about GB as Giga Bytes and GB as Giga Bits/Sec. I'm never really sure myself when the mobile providers (or general ISPs for that matter) quote GB whether they are talking about bits or bytes!
     What's your understanding?

     Also, on a related subject, many mobile Internet users can log into office systems at their place of work using Citrix (or GoToMyPC). Since these systems only transfer changes in the bit patterns of the office screen (or it's pseudo version in a server) down the line and mouse movements, etc up the line wouldn't it be cheaper to access the Internet this way (always assuming their company policise allow them to do this)?
     What do you think?

119. # Kens Tech Tipson 17 Jun 2011 at 11:18 pm

     Hi Dick,

     Given the overhead of creating the session – I strongly suspect this would be much more bandwidth intensive. However, I recommend investigating applications such as Opera Mini which can compress webpages. This is probably along the same lines as what you're suggesting but with a lot less overhead!

     Cheers

     Ken

120. # Kens Tech Tipson 17 Jun 2011 at 11:19 pm

     Hi Lily-Rose,

     You'll be pleased to know that you won't be charged when using hotel wi-fi. However, please make sure you've disabled data roaming to avoid large charges which could be incurred if you accidentally connect to a 3G service (see http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/10-things-to-….

     Cheers

     Ken

121. # Kens Tech Tipson 17 Jun 2011 at 11:26 pm

     Hi Connor,

     Technically a megabyte is 1000 kilobytes whereas a mebibyte is 1024 kilobytes. More info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mebibyte. However, usage is inconsistent within the industry and many people use a megabyte to mean 1024 kilobytes. For the purposes of mobile data, we suggest using the ISO definition of 1 megabyte = 1000 kilobytes and 1 gigabyte = 1000 megabytes. The reason being that because it's ambiguous what your mobile operator actually means, confining yourself to the lower limit will ensure that you don't exceed your download allowance & incur extra charges. In practice, this is mostly an academic argument as the probability of data usage being between 1000MB and 1024MB in a given month is very small.

     Ken

122. # Kens Tech Tipson 17 Jun 2011 at 11:31 pm

     Hi Anna,

     Thanks for your comment! For a review of Three's £35 tariff (called The One Plan), see our review at http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/three-launche….

     With regards to games… *normally* they don't use very much data. Some games will use data but this varies depending on the game and what kind of features it incorporates. However, I would say that you most certainly shouldn't worry about data usage from playing games stored on the phone – it won't eat up a significant amount of data. Probably 1MB tops.

     Ken

123. # Amyon 24 Jun 2011 at 6:27 pm

     I work at Three and the reason for the change is not that the limits have changed but instead a decision to stop using the word unlimited when it is subject to a fair use policy. Text 300 and talk plans include 500mb, Text 500 and above include 1gb while the one plan includes All you can eat data with no fair use policy at all.

124. # Susanon 04 Jul 2011 at 6:27 pm

     I've just got my 1st smart phone today and am just getting to grips with it. You're advice has been really helpfull as I am so new to using the phone for internet and many people have been telling me to watch out for this and that, so I'm a bit nervous about using it. I have unlimited internet and I need to know if the apps continue downloading (and thus eat up my usage) even when i'm not using it. I will mainly be going on facebook, twitter and my emails. If they do is there a way to stop this or turn them off when i dont want to use them? I really dont know what I'm doing with this do I?

125. # Kens Tech Tipson 04 Jul 2011 at 10:56 pm

     Hi Susan,

     Facebook/Twitter/E-mail probably will use some data even when you're not using it (e.g. your phone might automatically download new e-mails). That said, I really wouldn't worry about Facebook, Twitter or E-mail taking you anywhere close to your download limit if you only use your smartphone for these things. It's only really things like music, video, downloads, radio, Skype, etc. where you need to worry about download limits.

     Ken

126. # Billieon 05 Jul 2011 at 11:00 am

     Hi I found this article really helpful! Can I ask a quick question? – even when i have a wifi connection (at home) it still comes on my bill as using the mobile internet usage,when I know for a fact I have down all my internet browsing through our wifi connection…. do you know why this is? is there a setting on my phone where i need to turn off mobile internet, or should it happen automatically. my phone is set to automatically use wifi when available….

127. # Kens Tech Tipson 06 Jul 2011 at 10:36 am

     Hi Billie,

     Yes – your phone will have an option to turn off "mobile network data" or something. Turn this off if you are billed for mobile internet – typically your phone will automatically switch to 3G for data if it loses the wi-fi connection (e.g. you stray outside the range of the wi-fi hotspot, connection temporarily lost due to microwave interference, etc.)

     Ken

128. # billyon 08 Jul 2011 at 6:45 pm

     that you have more than enough data

129. # Bellaon 14 Jul 2011 at 9:43 am

     Great post, thank you, quick question – To send an SMS message on a Blackberry curve 8520 I turn on my mobile wireless setting – as I have no reception otherwise… does this use my internet allowance of 500mb up? Is it ok to leave the wireless setting on, so I can send SMS messages? Or do they send without this? Any suggestions asap would be so so so much appreciated as I need to use the phone ASAP!!! Thank you.

130. # Kens Tech Tipson 15 Jul 2011 at 11:53 am

     Hi Bella,

     Many thanks for your comment. Are you sure you're sending an SMS message and not WhatsApp/BBM/MMS or SMS through some application? You shouldn't need to enable data to use SMS!?

     Ken

131. # Carlaon 16 Jul 2011 at 9:24 pm

     When you say downloading video (example iTunes, not watching streaming video such as YouTube) does 1 hour mean the download time or the length of the video? Thanks.

132. # Kens Tech Tipson 18 Jul 2011 at 1:11 am

     Hi Carla,

     The figures in this article refer to the length of the video as opposed to the download time. Note that we made assumptions on the bitrate(quality) of the videos.

     Ken

133. # Gemmaon 29 Jul 2011 at 3:48 am

     wow! This article is amazing. much better then standing in a shop for hours on end asking all of my questions and remembering nothing when i come out.

     Would just like to ask, i have been thinking about getting the i phone 4 on a 3 mobile contract and unsure if 500mb would be enough. as im going to uni in september i can easily connect to the wi-fi on campus and also connect to the wi-fi at home and therefore not use up and of my 500mb a month. The only places i would use my MB up would be on a bus or out and about where wi-fi isnt available. Is this correct? And do you think in my case, it would be wise to go for 500mb?

     Thanks a lot

     Gemma

134. # chrison 29 Jul 2011 at 7:33 am

     how easy is it to switch between data usage and wifi at home? does an iphone do it automatically when in range of home wifi? thanks.

135. # Kens Tech Tipson 29 Jul 2011 at 10:24 am

     Hi Chris,

     If you leave wi-fi turned on then your phone will automatically connect to a wi-fi network. However, many people choose to disable wi-fi functionality when they're not using it to extend battery life.

     Ken

136. # Kens Tech Tipson 29 Jul 2011 at 10:30 am

     Hi Gemma,

     Thanks for the kind words! In general, 500MB per month should be plenty providing you don't download/stream music or video over 3G – you'll need to save those things for when you have wi-fi on campus or at home. Things like Facebook, Google Maps and browsing the web alone shouldn't take you anywhere close to 500MB so I would say it's fine! That said, it might be worth looking at The One Plan if you're looking for some reassurance with no download limits: http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/three-launche…

     Ken

137. # Gemmaon 30 Jul 2011 at 12:22 pm

     Thanks Ken.

     Just got my new i phone 4 and i got the one plan as they did me a good deal. and just to let others know i am on three mobile and on the one plan "unlimited" actually means unlimited so i am very happy

     Thanks again ,

     Gemma x

138. # Saraon 31 Jul 2011 at 9:48 pm

     yikes – I had no idea radio would use up so much… won't be using that again without wifi! Glad I hadn't yet sent that angry email to Three!!
     Really useful article – thank you so much

139. # Hannahon 02 Aug 2011 at 10:09 pm

     This is a brilliant article!
     But I've just bought a blackberry on virgin with 1GB of internet a month and I'd like to know if there's any way in which I can check to see how much internet connection I've got left. Is there a way??
     Thanks,
     Hannah

140. # Kens Tech Tipson 04 Aug 2011 at 12:26 pm

     Thanks Hannah!

     I've never tried it myself, but there is an application called "Network Traffic Control" in the BlackBerry App World which promises to measure the amount of data you use. http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/6…

     If you give it a go, please let us know what you think!

     Ken

141. # Nathanon 05 Aug 2011 at 1:16 pm

     this is helped a lot I am look at changing my contract & will use to info from this to choice what I need

142. # Lesleyon 12 Aug 2011 at 1:42 pm

     I'm thinking about swapping to '3' but concerned about coverage. I'm based on the south coast in Sussex but regularly travel into Wiltshire, Hampshire & Yorkshire. Anyone experienced any problems.

143. # Billon 18 Aug 2011 at 10:55 am

     Hi Ken. Really helpful articale.
     would like to bounce a few questions off you if that is ok. My 14 year old daughter has a SIM ONLY Orange 12 month contract for £10 a month giving 300 minutes plus UL text per month, She wants to buty a Blackberry Curve (has an LG350 currently) but i am a little out of my depth re data (i have a company iphone so do not get any costs). So after speaking to Orange i am not able to change her current contract for another 7 months(seemed like a good idea at the time). The only option i think i have is to add a £5 per month 500MB bundle to her current contract and buy a Blackberry. thats the story so far the questions i have are. Can BBM only be sent to other Blackberry users and are they FOC. She is an strong user of TEXT messaging but i do not believe that BBM is a full replacement of this. In the house she can use the WiFi FOC but will stream data for Facebook, tumblr Utube and Skype when out an about. After reading your article FB is ok however Skype and Utube are an issue due to data use. can you confirm all this for me please? any advise is greatly recieved. Thanks Bill

144. # Kens Tech Tipson 19 Aug 2011 at 1:38 am

     Hi Bill,

     Thanks for your comment. Adding a data bundle sounds like a reasonable solution – however make sure it's a BlackBerry data bundle. BlackBerry devices cannot be used with any old data bundle – more info over at http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/blackberry-ta….

     BBM messages can only be exchanged between BlackBerry users. They are free of charge. SMS messaging is still important for contacting friends who don't use BlackBerry. An alternative application called WhatsApp is similar to BBM but can be used on Android and iPhone devices too.

     And you are correct Skype and YouTube will use up 3G data allowances *very* quickly; but Facebook and Tumblr should be fine. If Skype and YouTube are used over wi-fi, it doesn't count towards the 500MB limit on 3G.

     Hope this helps,

     Ken

145. # overfield01on 22 Aug 2011 at 2:16 pm

     Yeh really helpful, good to get some figures actually in front of you and in black and white.

     I'm planning on upgrading to an I-Phone with 750mb allowance but just need to make sure im not getting conned. My current contract for my vivas is consistantly high but i reckon this may be down to the fact that no data charges are even considered in my contract, and standard data charges are given? I only really use the internet for facebook and football scores, so i'm slightly puzzled as to how my bills are often quite expensive.

     Thanks, Stu

146. # Kens Tech Tipson 22 Aug 2011 at 2:37 pm

     Hi,

     If you don't have an inclusive data allowance in your package this would mean you're paying standard rates for data – it could be as high as £4/MB in some cases – or sometimes £1 or £2 per day depending on your tariff. If you've got an inclusive data allowance, you shouldn't have to worry about data costs providing you keep within the 750mb allowance

     Ken

147. # MEMEon 26 Aug 2011 at 2:34 pm

     I just got my new phone and i have 750mb data allowance a month,

     Am i right in thinking this will be ok to use Facebook daily, read the few emails i get and occasionally check cinema times?

     I have wifi in my home so at home it will connect to that. But out and about will it eat into my allowance as its a smart phone?I.e, be connected to the internet all the time, or will i have to keep turning it off and on again?

148. # Kens Tech Tipson 26 Aug 2011 at 2:43 pm

     Hi Meme,

     Yes you can… if those are the things you use your smartphone for, and especially with wifi at home, no need to worry about a 750mb data allowance. Things like online radio, YouTube, music downloads, etc. are the only things you really need to worry about – those are the things which eat up your data allowance very quickly!

     Ken

149. # Leson 11 Sep 2011 at 11:58 pm

     Thanx for ur useful info!! Has helped me alot!

150. # Michelleon 14 Sep 2011 at 4:24 pm

     Hi Ken, I've recently got a contract phone, £20 per month with 250 mb. My monthly bill was over £41 last month but I barely use it. I do receive about 25 emails a day but have only ever replied to one and have looked at FaceBook and internet a couple of times. Not sure why my bill is so high, perhaps I have something switched on that is using up all my mbs? I checked my usage this month after one week and had already used up my allowance!

     Michelle

151. # Kens Tech Tipson 14 Sep 2011 at 7:04 pm

     Hi Michelle,

     Sorry to hear about the problems you're having. My first recommendation is to make sure you use wi-fi at home: this should cut your data usage substantially. Secondly, monitor your data usage using something like 3G Watchdog (for Android devices). You can set up this application to alter you or automatically disable your internet connectivity when you reach a certain point (e.g. 225mb). Hopefully this application will help you to work out why you exceeded your data allowance last month: for example it could be that you've downloaded a software update or several large applications from App Store/Android Market over 3G.

     Ken

152. # Lynn Nicholsonon 14 Sep 2011 at 7:20 pm

     Hi Ken
     Brilliant article, I understand so much more now!
     Just 1 quick question, will using a sports tracker/sat nav type application eat into my allowance considerably?
     Lynn

153. # Kens Tech Tipson 14 Sep 2011 at 8:34 pm

     Hi Lynn,

     Thanks for the kind words! It shouldn't do no: GPS positioning alone shouldn't use up any data – that said if the application does things such as automatically downloading maps of your current location that would eat into your allowance. For a sports tracker application I'd say it would be very unlikely to use very much data!

     Ken

154. # Juliet Stephensonon 23 Sep 2011 at 7:14 pm

     I know this is an old article but I'd just like to point out that O2 customers are only charged up to £1 per day if they do NOT have an internet allowance (bolt on). Once the monthly limit is reached your mobile data speed is simply slowed down until the next month. Otherwise, great article, very useful thanks!

155. # Kens Tech Tipson 24 Sep 2011 at 4:19 pm

     Hi Juliet,

     Many thanks for your comment! The article should say that the excess charge on O2 is £1/day although it's possible something has been left out – if you can spot anywhere in the article with the old prices please let me know!

     Ken

156. # maxon 03 Oct 2011 at 2:42 pm

     hi im getting the samsung galaxy ace , and when i top up £10 i get 500mb internet and i am at home alot of the time , i have wi-fi so when i connest to it will that 500mb decrease ???
     thanks max

157. # Kens Tech Tipson 03 Oct 2011 at 11:14 pm

     Hi Max,

     Any downloads over wi-fi will not count towards your 500mb allowance.

     Ken

158. # ameliaon 05 Oct 2011 at 5:30 pm

     thanks for this but im still insure – im getting a phone in a few days and theres this deal on an android phone which gives me 250mb free of internet a month. if i do get this phone i will only be on facebook and downlading free apps , will 250mb be enough??
     also when you download free apps and then u go on to play it , it wont take ur megabites off ,, will it ???
     please help me
     any help will be apperciated
     thanks.

159. # Kens Tech Tipson 05 Oct 2011 at 8:09 pm

     Hi Amelia,

     I'm afraid it's so hard to say – every single app will use different amounts of data so there isn't a universal answer. Do you have a specific one in mind?

     Ken

160. # paulon 05 Oct 2011 at 11:05 pm

     hi just got an iphone 3 with 500mb got it connected to sky go when not at home how long would 500mb of viewing last

161. # ameliaon 06 Oct 2011 at 5:38 pm

     ken,
     thankyou for that but im more to the question : if you download a free internet app will it take off your megabites or not plus when you hook it up to the wifi and you are on apps or facebook that wont take away megabites will it ?

     amelia

162. # Annaon 06 Oct 2011 at 7:40 pm

     Thank you for this, very helpfull!

163. # ameliaon 06 Oct 2011 at 7:56 pm

     if you downloaded a free app and then you go on to play it then it wouldnt take your megabites off , will it ?
     and if you hook it up the the wifi it wont take megabites off will it?
     thankyou

164. # Kens Tech Tipson 07 Oct 2011 at 1:05 pm

     Hi Amelia,

     It might or it might not – it depends on the game! If you're connected to wi-fi, it definitely won't come out of your mobile internet download allowance.

     Ken

165. # ameliaon 07 Oct 2011 at 8:18 pm

     thanks alot of help

166. # roberton 09 Oct 2011 at 8:28 pm

     my contract is supposed to be £20 a month but for the last 3 months it has come in at £60. I rang vodafone up to ask why it was this price and they said my blackberry makes an update every night at 12 and becuase internet wasnt a part of my contract i was having to pay 89p every time. I was not made aware of this when i brought the phone..am i entitled to ask for the money back?

167. # Kens Tech Tipson 10 Oct 2011 at 1:18 am

     Hi Robert,

     I'm afraid I'm no expert on consumer law – sorry. Vodafone have a valid argument in that your phone was using data services and so you should be charged. You may also have an argument in that you never authorised the use of the data service and that you were unaware of the use. My suggestion is to disable the automatic update at midnight to prevent further charges – whether you want to go further and to dispute the additional £40 worth of charges is something I cannot advise on!

     Ken

168. # roberton 10 Oct 2011 at 11:00 am

     thanks for taking the time to reply

169. # Kens Tech Tipson 10 Oct 2011 at 10:58 pm

     Hi Richard The article has been updated with statistics about listening to online radio!

170. # Mystery Manon 20 Oct 2011 at 11:00 pm

     Cheers Ken!

     I am considering upgrading to my first ever smartphone from a VERY old Nokia 1100 so this article has been extremely useful.

     Thanks a lot!

171. # Emmyon 02 Nov 2011 at 5:53 pm

     This is an amazing easy to understand web site! Thank the lord someone has taken the time to do this!

172. # Loobyluceon 05 Nov 2011 at 9:55 am

     Thankyou for your helpful advice! A good deed indeed!

173. # xxxon 13 Nov 2011 at 7:59 pm

     thanks………i was considering which monthly plan to get (500MB vs 1GB), and now I know, very well explained.

174. # theclawon 22 Nov 2011 at 1:35 pm

     if you want a bargain use giffgaff(02) network £10 per month pay as you go 250 mins unlimited texts,and unlimited internet no download limit AND NO FAIR USE POLICY AT ALL…………..

175. # JCCon 24 Nov 2011 at 7:15 pm

     Many thanks for clear and concise article.

176. # jadeon 01 Dec 2011 at 5:38 am

     how about 1 gb internet sim card how many hours if i use on vedio call on skype

177. # Joeon 04 Dec 2011 at 7:14 pm

     If I buy into a prepaid plan that offers 750 minutes of talk, text, and data, am I correct in assuming that however long any internet page takes to download will be how many minutes is subtracted from the plan?

     Joe

178. # Kens Tech Tipson 05 Dec 2011 at 12:21 am

     Hi Joe,

     Nope. Internet pages will be subtracted from the data part of your plan (however much data it takes to download that webpage)!

     Ken

179. # momoon 10 Dec 2011 at 12:47 am

     Is 5 gig a month enough, just for browsing the net for about 5 hours a day, whats apping constantly, msning and emailing? I just want to leave the 3g connection on permanently. How much data would that eat?

180. # Bikoon 10 Dec 2011 at 9:18 pm

     In your third question, there is a app you can download called 3G Watchdog, it lets you know how much you are using.

     Hope this helps.

181. # Kens Tech Tipson 10 Dec 2011 at 10:26 pm

     Hi momo,

     5GB should be more than adequate for those things!

     Ken

182. # cpscallawayon 15 Dec 2011 at 2:54 pm

     thanks for this info!! just what I needed to know

183. # alanon 30 Dec 2011 at 4:53 am

     how many time taken for completing 1gb in our pc

184. # R Con 02 Jan 2012 at 1:37 pm

     Simple and to the point very good site I will pass it on.

185. # SPatersonon 04 Jan 2012 at 10:22 am

     Thanks for all the easy to understand information in your article and for getting back to me so quickly. I'll keep a close eye on it over the coming weeks and stop the kids from playing on it.

186. # Kingfisher 97on 04 Jan 2012 at 6:20 pm

     Thank you!! I also thought that the usage was a bit high for a week but i turned it off for a few days and now its gone back to 0mb usage so i'll check when my bill comes through if it was for that or not! Thanks so much again!

187. # ZZZon 18 Jan 2012 at 10:57 pm

     Thanks for the article man, helped me a lot

188. # Hannahon 29 Jan 2012 at 1:55 pm

     I'm rubbish at this stuff sorry
     So if I got a contract iPhone 4s and got the 500mb how many hours roughly a day could i spend on the internet without being charged and going over at the end of the month? x

189. # joeninetyon 29 Jan 2012 at 10:50 pm

     Hi
     I have a Xperia Ray on pay as you go t-mobile. I was thinking of taking out the interent booster for £20 for 6 months, from your article can you tell me what my limit will be, 500mb or the 1gb you mentioned

190. # Kens Tech Tipson 29 Jan 2012 at 10:54 pm

     Hi there,

     T-Mobile's £20 for 6 months deal comes with 500MB allowance per month.

     Hope this helps,

     Ken

191. # nicoleon 02 Feb 2012 at 9:55 pm

     for the new HTC sensation is 500MB a substantial amount, for a girl who like facebook reads emails and just wants fast internet (checking train times, cinema)

192. # mfroon 03 Feb 2012 at 9:40 am

     Thanks for this clear, succinct article. I'm hoping to switch to a smartphone soon and found this article, and the comments and your response to them, extremely helpful.

193. # Ankhon 07 Feb 2012 at 2:38 pm

     Good article but one small thing that always annoys me when I see it, it's actually 1024 Killobyte and 1024 Megabytes in a Gig.

194. # Eileenon 17 Feb 2012 at 11:25 am

     Hi sorry to be stupid but am unsure has to how wifi which we have in the house to use our computer can be an advantage or not too my smarphone

195. # Steveon 20 Feb 2012 at 5:15 pm

     Thank you for de-mystifying this subject for a non-techie!

196. # Martin Powellon 29 Feb 2012 at 9:17 pm

     Thanks Ken you are a great big light in a mobile world of darkness.

197. # funkolaon 02 Mar 2012 at 8:57 am

     this was very helpful. thank you

198. # jojoon 15 Mar 2012 at 11:33 pm

     Very helpful, thank you! :0)

199. # @stephen_se92on 25 Mar 2012 at 10:59 am

     Ken? Thank you very much indeed. And congratulations on a fantastic page. You anticpated my every question and with time-saving links.

200. # Kens Tech Tipson 25 Mar 2012 at 6:43 pm

     Hi Stephen,

     I'm really pleased that the page was useful!!

     Ken

201. # Honeyon 28 Mar 2012 at 5:46 pm

     Hello, could you tell me if I were to watch live TV on my iphone at home via my wi-fi would it still use my 3G allowance? Thanks a lot

202. # Kens Tech Tipson 29 Mar 2012 at 12:07 pm

     Hi there,

     No – this would not count towards your 3G allowance. Any traffic transferred over your home wi-fi does not go through your mobile operator at all

     Hope this helps,

     Ken

203. # Janon 05 Apr 2012 at 10:50 pm

     Excellent advice, thank you very much. I wanted to know if the free web access I just got from Vodafone would interfere with my wi-fi (home) usage and found the answer I needed (no, it won't!)

204. # Kafrinon 06 Apr 2012 at 3:39 pm

     Thanks for clarifying this, I understand it now. And thanks for the link to the Watchdog app. I’m not rich, so need to keep my spending to a minimum. Cheers, K

205. # Stevenon 06 Apr 2012 at 5:04 pm

     Thank you for making sense of data allowance. Very informative and explained very clearly. Excellent article.

206. # Mariaon 12 Apr 2012 at 8:31 am

     Very helpful! Thank you.

207. # jonoon 22 May 2012 at 7:46 pm

     htc wildfire . i will be using phone to watch bbci player and sky go. i have 1 gig. how long will i get before the gig expires. i have unlimited browsing and the gig is for download.
     thanks

208. # jonoon 22 May 2012 at 7:47 pm

     jono again. oops sorry forgot to say i will be using my phone as hot spot for laptop whilst camping

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