If you’re in the US, chances are you’ve seen T-Mobile’s ads promoting their unlimited data plans. But what happens when you reach your monthly data threshold and get throttled down to 128kbps? Is it still usable? In this article, we’ll take a look at a user’s experience with T-Mobile’s data throttling and see how slow 128kbps really is.
The user in question has a T-Mobile plan with a one gigabyte threshold for high-speed data. After using up their one gig, they received a text message informing them that they would experience slower speeds up to 128kbps. The user decided to put this claim to the test and ran a speed test, which showed that their download speed was actually around 800-850kbps, not as slow as they were expecting.
However, the user also found that the practical experience of using apps like Google Maps and YouTube was noticeably slower. When trying to zoom in on maps, it took a while for the streets to redraw and load. And when trying to load videos on YouTube, it was almost unplayable.
Despite the slower speeds, the user found that one gigabyte was still enough for their needs, as long as they didn’t download a lot of videos or post a lot of pictures. For basic tasks like checking email, it was still sufficient.
Overall, while 128kbps is definitely slower than high-speed data, it is still usable for basic tasks. However, for those who rely heavily on streaming video or downloading large files, it may be worth considering a higher data plan.