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[fuzzyset]

double post.

 

[DrFunk]

Guys, Verizon said they won't throttle Unlimited Data users after all

Y'all do know this, right?

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Video. Even a mobile Netflix stream is lots a data. It's a huge issue for service providers. Companies are throwing money at my research group to try to figure out how to deal with it.

Then companies like Netflix need to figure out better compression methods. I know there is this thinking that "I pay for the bandwidth so I should use it as I see fit" but there clearly is a larger issue here. The infrastructure and data demands aren't meeting up. I think Verizon and other telcos are in the clear here to throttle data on people who are going well above and beyond normal usage.

 

[Desi]

Isn't the only way to upgrade and keep your plan with Verizon is to buy the phone outright? I enjoy my unlimited data but I still want to upgrade to the iPhone 6.

 

[Petrie]

I'm so glad I just have a company phone now and don't have to worry about such things. They pay it, I use whatever the hell I want.

The only thing that made me let go of my unlimited Verizon plan I was holding onto for dear life.

 

[Apt101]

I didn't think Verizon could throttle 4G LTE users legally, part of their agreement when they obtained some radio spectrum.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

I didn't think Verizon could throttle 4G LTE users legally, part of their agreement when they obtained some radio spectrum.

The agreement was for traffic shaping and preference, not throttling, I believe.

 

[mre]

Isn't the only way to upgrade and keep your plan with Verizon is to buy the phone outright? I enjoy my unlimited data but I still want to upgrade to the iPhone 6.

It depends.

Do you only have one line on your account? Then, yes.

Do you have two or more lines on your account, but all lines have unlimited data on them which you wish to keep? Then, yes.

Do you have two or more lines on your account, and one of the other lines has a data plan with a cap on it? Then, congratulations! You can work the system, upgrade with a subsidized phone, and keep your unlimited data. It involves transferring the two-year upgrade to the non-unlimited line, activating the new phone on that line, transferring the new phone to the unlimited line, and then reactivating the original phone on the non-unlimited line.

 

[popeutlal]

Are you people using 10-20GB, or more, a month just never on wifi? Even when I'm working on a train for 2 hours I use only a few hundred megs of data.

Watching Hulu and youtube takes a few gigs, I'm up to 11 gigs this month.

 

[Futureman]

in iOS, under data settings, is "Current Period" the last month of data use, or how much you've used since you last reset the statistics??

 

[fuzzyset]

Then companies like Netflix need to figure out better compression methods. I know there is this thinking that "I pay for the bandwidth so I should use it as I see fit" but there clearly is a larger issue here. The infrastructure and data demands aren't meeting up. I think Verizon and other telcos are in the clear here to throttle data on people who are going well above and beyond normal usage.

Haha, it's not that easy. Netflix uses H.264 which is a damn good standard. It uses ~1/2 the data rate for the same image quality as compared with Digital TV which still uses MPEG-2 (which is an ancient standard). There's a new standard H.265 (HEVC) that looks promising. It was finalized recently. However, Netflix can't just up and switch because H.264 is hardware decoded in nearly every mobile device /set-top box / etc. That's why it's so popular. It's become power-efficient. They're gonna need to wait until X% of devices have hardware enabled H.265 decoding or else using Netflix will just destroy your battery and/or user exerience. This is just one small piece of the puzzle. It's not as simple as "Netflix is lazy and enjoys paying huge bandwidth fees every month".

 

[KiKaL]

It depends.
Do you have two or more lines on your account, and one of the other lines has a data plan with a cap on it? Then, congratulations! You can work the system, upgrade with a subsidized phone, and keep your unlimited data. It involves transferring the two-year upgrade to the non-unlimited line, activating the new phone on that line, transferring the new phone to the unlimited line, and then reactivating the original phone on the non-unlimited line.

My wife just switched over to my Verizon account and just got a new phone. Are you saying I could still transfer my upgrade to her line and then follow the steps you listed even though she just moved over this month? Is this different than whatever loophole supposedly got fixed in August?

 

[Desi]

It depends.

Do you only have one line on your account? Then, yes.

well fuck.

 

[AbsolutBro]

Wait... I have an unlimited data plan that I've had since the Blackberry Storm came out. I'm currently on a 3G Droid X2. You're telling me if I buy a 4g phone like a Samsung Galaxy I can take it to Verizon and keep my old unlimited plan, but get 4G data?

How does this work? Help me GAF! I'm tired of 3G for my tether

 

[mre]

My wife just switched over to my Verizon account and just got a new phone. Are you saying I could still transfer my upgrade to her line and then follow the steps you listed even though she just moved over this month? Is this different than whatever loophole supposedly got fixed in August?

1. Yes, this is different than the loophole closed in August, which was similar but allowed you to transfer your upgrade to a "dumb" phone on another line, add a basic data plan, do all the transferring to get a new phone on the line with unlimited data, then remove the data plan from the second line. Verizon made it so that if you upgrade your phone and add a data package, you have to keep that data package for the length of the plan: http://www.phonedog.com/2014/08/25/...t-allowed-cheap-upgrades-with-unlimited-data/

2. That should work. I did something similar in March. My wife (on a non-unlimited plan) had upgraded her phone in February, and I was able to transfer my upgrade to her line.

Wait... I have an unlimited data plan that I've had since the Blackberry Storm came out. I'm currently on a 3G Droid X2. You're telling me if I buy a 4g phone like a Samsung Galaxy I can take it to Verizon and keep my old unlimited plan, but get 4G data?

How does this work? Help me GAF! I'm tired of 3G for my tether

If you buy a phone at full price, you can upgrade your phone and keep your unlimited data.

 

[hope32]

Wait... I have an unlimited data plan that I've had since the Blackberry Storm came out. I'm currently on a 3G Droid X2. You're telling me if I buy a 4g phone like a Samsung Galaxy I can take it to Verizon and keep my old unlimited plan, but get 4G data?

How does this work? Help me GAF! I'm tired of 3G for my tether

Yes, all you have to do is buy any phone full price and you will have unlimited 4G LTE. If you plan on buying a brand new phone it will come with a sim card, but if you want to go used you can just call Verizon ahead of time and have them send you a new sim card.

 

[ecurbj]

Wait... I have an unlimited data plan that I've had since the Blackberry Storm came out. I'm currently on a 3G Droid X2. You're telling me if I buy a 4g phone like a Samsung Galaxy I can take it to Verizon and keep my old unlimited plan, but get 4G data?

How does this work? Help me GAF! I'm tired of 3G for my tether

If you buy your 4G phone out right / full price. Yes. But if you upgrade your line. You will lose your unlimited data.

But if you have someone else on your plan and they have an upgrade they don't want to use and it's available you can upgrade their line and when the phone arrives. Activate it on their line and then switch it to your line and reactivate their old phone back on their line. And then BOOM! You will then have a 4G phone and your unlimited data still intact.

Thank you, FCC Tom Wheeler for getting Verizon to back down. You, sir are a GOD! <3

 

[mre]

If you buy your 4G phone out right / full price. Yes. But if you upgrade your line. You will lose your unlimited data.

But if you have someone else on your plan and they have an upgrade they don't want to use and it's available you can upgrade their line and when the phone arrives. Activate it on their line and then switch it to your line and reactivate their old phone back on their line. And then BOOM! You will then have a 4G phone and your unlimited data still intact.

Thank you, FCC Tom Wheeler for getting Verizon to back down. You, sir are a GOD! <3

Yep, and Verizon also allows you to transfer your upgrade from line to line. Transferring your upgrade locks you into a 2 year contract on the line the upgrade is being transferred from.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Haha, it's not that easy. Netflix uses H.264 which is a damn good standard. It uses ~1/2 the data rate for the same image quality as compared with Digital TV which still uses MPEG-2 (which is an ancient standard). There's a new standard H.265 (HEVC) that looks promising. It was finalized recently. However, Netflix can't just up and switch because H.264 is hardware decoded in nearly every mobile device /set-top box / etc. That's why it's so popular. It's become power-efficient. They're gonna need to wait until X% of devices have hardware enabled H.265 decoding or else using Netflix will just destroy your battery and/or user exerience. This is just one small piece of the puzzle. It's not as simple as "Netflix is lazy and enjoys paying huge bandwidth fees every month".

Oh I wasn't implying it was easy. I was just saying they should look into it. They're going to be the the #1 target while the bandwidth argument rages so if they came out with a better compression it might quiet people. But I also know that is a massive order.

 

[Ryaaan14]

I feel bad for Verizon customers. Especially ones who jumped ship to avoid throttling.

My ATT unlimited plan gets throttled every month and it's awful.

 

[BlackNMild2k1]

Grandfathered into unlimited with a note 3.. I almost want to use an exorbitant amount of data to see what Verizon does.. Hopefully I can get out of this contract.. Verizon has shitty coverage in my home..

They have cell boxes that you can put in your house that boost the signal indoors for poor signal areas.

I had a friend that got one for free from Sprint by complaining hard enough. I'm sure Verizon has them too, but i never looked.