AT&T Starts Threatening Heavy Data Users With Throttling

By

AT&T-data-warning

Following AT&T’s announcement back in July that confirmed it would begin throttling heavy data users, the carrier has today begun sending SMS messages to those who are being a little too greedy to warn them that their speeds will be reduced.

The new policy isn’t actually due to take affect until tomorrow, however, a message uploaded to Reddit confirms that SMS messages are being sent out one day early. Only the top 5% of data users are being targeted, and the carrier hopes that by throttling speeds, users will consume less data.

AT&T’s initial announcement read:

Starting October 1, smartphone customers with unlimited data plans may experience reduced speeds once their usage in a billing cycle reaches the level that puts them among the top 5 percent of heaviest data users.  These customers can still use unlimited data and their speeds will be restored with the start of the next billing cycle.  Before you are affected, we will provide multiple notices, including a grace period.

The plan will ensure that the heaviest users get the slowest data rates, while those who are more careful with theirs can enjoy the fastest speeds.

It’s unclear how much data you need to consume to make it into the top 5%, however, according to 9to5 Mac, the user who got the test message above had consumed a whopping 11GB!

Have you had a text message from AT&T yet?

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.