T-Mobile has quietly upped the data cap on its unlimited plan, now allowing users to consume 30 GB of data per month before getting their speed throttled.
Carriers have been battling in unlimited data plans recently, but no plan is truly unlimited. While users don't have to worry about running out of data with unlimited plans, their internet speed will decrease after they exceed a certain data threshold.
T-Mobile was already ahead in the unlimited data plan race since it offers more attractive prices than its rivals, and it has now upped the competition even further by increasing the limit.
Unlimited Data Plan Throttling
The threshold previously sat at 28 GB per month and now it's at 30 GB per month. Once users consume those 30 GB in a month, T-Mobile will start deprioritizing them in favor of other customers. Simply put, heavy data users who gobbled up 30 GB will have slower internet speeds while others who have consumed data more moderately will enjoy high-speed internet.
"Based on network statistics for the most recent quarter, customers who use more than 30GB of data during a billing cycle will have their data usage prioritized below other customers' data usage for the remainder of the billing cycle in times and at locations where there are competing customer demands for network resources," T-Mobile explains (see Network Management for Extremely High Data Usage and Tethering). "At the start of the next bill cycle, the customer's usage status is reset, and this data traffic is no longer prioritized below other traffic."
T-Mobile vs. The Competition
By comparison, the other three major U.S. carriers have a lower cap for unlimited data plans. Sprint allows for 23 GB before throttling, while AT&T and Verizon start reducing the internet speed in areas with congested network once users reach 22 GB per month.
In other words, T-Mobile already offered more data than its rivals even when it capped it at 28 GB, but it's now offering even more.
All carriers, including T-Mobile, highlight that they only deprioritize heavy data users if they're connected to a congested cell tower in high demand, and if they exceeded their respective thresholds for the current month. Consequently, throttling may not necessarily occur but it's a possibility in these cases.
Already In Effect
T-Mobile typically doesn't shy away from bragging and proclaiming its superiority over the other wireless carriers, but this time it chose to increase the data allotment quietly, without any announcement or statement.
T-Mobile-centric website TmoNews (unaffiliated with T-Mobile) reports that the change went into effect on Wednesday, March 8.
As a reminder, T-Mobile also improved its unlimited data plan offering last month by adding HD video and 10 GB of high-speed Mobile Hotspot data per month. That move was in response to Verizon's unlimited data plan announcement.
It remains to be seen whether the other major U.S. carriers will follow T-Mobile's lead and increase their data caps as well, or come up with other incentives to heat up the competition.
