Broadband users paying for downloads limits they never reach

The results of a recent survey have shown that a huge number of consumers in the UK are paying for broadband packages with download limits that they will never come close to reaching.

One of the things that many people look at when signing up to a broadband package, apart from the obvious such as speed and cost, is the download limit that comes with the service, and many people are happy to pay the extra money for greater download limits or even an unlimited download service with the package. However, the results of a recent survey have shown that many of these people may be wasting their money on a package that is costing them way over the odds because they will never make the most of it.

According to the report the majority of broadband users in the UK end up paying for a service that has greater download limits than they will ever get close to using. The research suggested that around seventy five percent of people that were paying for packages with unlimited downloads were actually downloading only 20GB of data per month. Half of users were downloading only 10GB or less of data per month but were still paying the higher price for unlimited downloads.

Industry officials involved in the research said that some users could save themselves around one hundred pounds a year or more by simply downgrading their service to reflect their download needs rather than paying for a package with unlimited downloads that they didn’t need.

One industry expert stated: “If you spend over two hours per day using iPlayer or downloading music and film you will need a package that can support that activity. If all you do is e-mail and surf the net you’ll probably only need a basic service.” He added: “It is easy to become distracted by flash marketing and words like ‘unlimited’ or to be scared by the concept of download penalties. Consumers who pay for a service they are not making full use of are in effect throwing money down the drain.”

Source – BBC