T-Mobile to slap down heavy users with reduced data speeds from Oct 16th

T-Mobile recently revealed its plans to punish heavy data users who consume more than 5 GB of data per month on their mobile devices.

Their statement (reproduced below) warned data hogs that once they hit the 5GB limit, they will receive a free text message (how kind!) informing them their data speed will be reduced.

Although slapped-down customers will still be able to browse the web, everything is likely to download slower than a ketamine-stricken slug crawling over a plate of treacle wearing Velcro.

Kicks in from Oct 16th

The bad news is that if you’re you’re one of these data guzzling T-Mobile users, the penalties start kicking in from October 16th.

Here’s their full statement:

Beginning on October 16, T-Mobile will begin to reduce data speeds when a customer reaches 5GB of usage in a billing cycle, in accordance with T-Mobile terms and conditions.

This change should only affect extreme data users (less than 1 percent) and is being made to ensure that all subscribers receive the best Web performance available by limiting the number of extreme data users on our network.

The majority of T-Mobile customers should not be affected by this change. The new 5 GB threshold limit, which is equivalent to approximately 125,000 yahoo.com page visits, is enough bandwidth to satisfy most customers’ Web and data needs.

If a customer happens to reach the 5GB limit, they will receive a free text message informing them their data speed will be reduced. Customers will continue to have Web browsing capabilities but at slower speeds, which will be determined by their device type.

Once their new billing cycle begins, data speeds will no longer be restricted.

Customers can track their data usage through My T-Mobile, MyAccount, or the SIVR.