We’ve talked about data caps before, however we still get questions about what the term really means. In short, a data cap refers to the amount of information that you are allowed to download and upload using a specific Internet connection. For example, every time you view an email, a small amount of data is used to collect that email and display it on your screen.
Data caps are used by many cellular Broadband companies because they don’t have enough bandwidth to allow users to use higher amounts without severely slowing down everyone’s Internet. These caps can be as low as 2 GBs. That is about the amount of data it would take to stream two movies from a service such as Netflix. It’s even less if you want to stream a movie in HD. Going over these data caps can mean serious fines on your bill.
Some fiber and cable based Broadband Internet companies also use data caps, however these caps sit well above most of their users basic needs. The same cannot be said for users with 2 GBs caps! If you want to find out more about how data usage works, click here.
We’ve now covered the stability of cellular Broadband and the use of data caps by these companies. Stay tuned as we look at customer service and Internet speed.