Tim Minor

The End of Unlimited Data

Could O2′s decision to end unlimited data tariffs slow the boom in the mobile web in the UK?

There’s no doubt that smartphones, particularly the iPhone, have contributed to a phenomenal boom in the mobile web. Before Mobile Safari the Internet was a painful place to get around. However, I would argue that the primary reason mobile browsing suddenly exploded was due to the introduction of unlimited (fair use) data tariffs.

Not having control of your monthly bill adds stress to your mobile experience. Without being able to accurately gauge how much your internet traffic is costing you, you reduce your traffic or stop it completely. Users aren’t able to calculate how much a page “weighs”. It was already difficult when using WAP-enabled phones when pages were text-only, but now that Mobile Safari offers you the whole of the web (Flash excluded obviously) page weights and data transfer becomes impossible to calculate on the fly.

I remember trying to access some of Orange’s WAP sites when I first got a capable phone. It was a nerve-wracking experience, with the over-riding thought being to close the connection as soon as possible. Try and find what you need and close the connection. It’s no surprise that I rarely looked to my phone for the Internet. Yes it was slow and hard to get around but it felt like money was, figuratively, trickling through my fingers!

With the introduction of the unlimited tariffs, suddenly I could browse for pleasure. I could idly play with the Google Map app and watch my progress on the train; skim through the headlines, reading any or all of what caught my interest; play games that connected to transfer progress and save positions – and all safe in the knowledge that it wasn’t costing me any extra. Without this piece of mind I know my web use wouldn’t have been so great.

So now we face a reduction in our use on O2s new iPhone 4 tariffs and all this is due to end. Already I’ve been semi-seriously auditing my data use. Which games connect and what do they transfer? How big is the average YouTube video? How big are the data files in Maps? Not only are these tedious things to consider; users shouldn’t have to!

O2 contends that the introduction of the limited tariffs will improve the majority’s mobile experience and I’d certainly be all for that. But that just doesn’t fit with their assertion that 97% of customers won’t notice any effect.

What I think O2 are more nervous about is the rise in popularity of mobile music streaming services like Spotify and surely more recently the launch of the iPad. With increasing numbers of people and increasing mobile usage, O2 are legitimately concerned about the effect on their network. “Total mobile data consumption on our network is doubling every four months,” a spokeswoman for O2 said. “And the number of iPhone users on O2 has grown in a year from 1m to 2m.”

However, punishing the majority in order to catch the few just doesn’t seem fair. Just look at the uproar tax on alcohol had when responsible drinking campaigns suggested we should all bear the cost of the binge-drinking few. And anyway, surely O2′s “fair use” policy should catch this 3% of heavy users out?

O2 describes their data flow as a “permanently-on tap”. But surely the answer isn’t drought?