Following up on today’s changes to Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile has begun sending the following text message with a link for all customers:
“Beginning 6/1/14, to provide more customers with a high quality data experience during heavy usage times, Virgin Mobile USA may manage prioritization of access to network resources in congested areas for customers within the top 5% of data users. For more info visit virginmobileusa.com/networkmanagement.”
This means that Virgin will throttle the top 5% of the heaviest data users in a given area by giving them lower priority on the data network over those customers with more moderate usage patterns in an attempt to provide better service to all customers at peak times. This move also follows the recent enactment of a lowered post-throttle speed to 128Kbps beginning today for both Boost and Virgin customers, again to discourage heavy users.
With Virgin and Boost Mobile moving to tighter restrictions for data management, it’s very likely that both brands are aiming to force heavy users off of either brand onto competitors better able to handle such users and Virgin Mobile has yet to make any major changes to its plan slate in a similar vein to Boost Mobile, which went to a more conventional usage-based model starting today after finding its Shrinkage-based plans untenable over the last 18 months.
Currently, Virgin Mobile is still offering 2.5GB of monthly data access on its own Beyond Talk plan slate before throttling to 128Kbps and has made no indication that it would change its plan slate to a usage-based model similar to Boost Mobile.
Update: Since this was first published, Sprint has officially confirmed that the policy will apply across the entire company and its sub-brands next month. While Sprint is not eliminating the option for unlimited data on its postpaid plans, much like the identical move taken by AT&T a couple of years ago, the days of truly unlimited data are now numbered on the carrier after years of touting it as a competitive advantage against AT&T and Verizon.
What makes the policy more onerous is that Sprint is relying not on a specific number to assess which users are in the “top 5%” in order to be given less priority, but Sprint will be relying on the level of congestion on a given cell site to make that determination, which many would consider to be faulty logic, as the level of congestion on a given cell site changes far too frequently to determine who using more bandwidth than another user.
These changes will do little to stem Sprint’s growing negative perception and will only serve to annoy customers further, especially as the respective FAQ for the changes states that using more than 5GB in a monthly cycle places a customer in the “top 5%” but also states that it uses a “proportional fairness scheduler algorithm that allocates network resources based on radio frequency signal quality and other metrics. During times of congestion, the proportional fairness scheduler algorithm ensures no one user is deprived of network resources”, meaning that Sprint is either waiting for customers to hit 5GB before throttling or they manage access automatically regardless of the total amount used, which isn’t clear at this time.
Whether these changes will serve to help Sprint as they finish the Network Vision project is unclear, but the carrier is already acting with SoftBank’s heavy hand and it’s not looking good for those that previously relied on Sprint’s unlimited data access.
This isn’t fair. Why even offer smartphones if you cant even use 5 gigs?? They should let the people who use alot of data have higher speed and lower it for the ones who dont cuz obviously they dont need it.
I hope you never start a business. You do realize that this is a business for Sprint.
This seems just shy of bait-and-switch. Because the user puts most of the money upfront with their purchase of a smartphone, they are “stuck” on Virgin even as they monkey around with the plans. Since there is no contract, there is nothing holding Virgin back. AT&T did the same thing when the iPad went from “unlimited” to limited.
You know that’s really ( F-up ) for those people at are paying for their service, witch the plan includes unlimited data, so what if those people are not using the internet as much as others it not are fault. in my opinion I say we leave virgin mobile customers that are pay for their full access to the internet alone and start looking that the ones how hardly us the internet and make changes to their plans or to inter usage instead of messing with the ones how pay full price and us the full access to the internet. thank you maybe you will look at it differently now I hope virgin moble nows they are going to get a lot of complaints about this change in mobile planes
What? Virgin Mobile already has a limit of 2.5 GB of 3G/4G data. So, what do they mean by throttling the top 5% of heavy data users? Aren’t they already throttling a customer once they reach the 2.5GB data limit? So now what..they will effectively start throttling before a customer even reaches the 2.5 GB? A clear breach of contract but unfortunately not much to collect since this is a prepaid service so at most maybe a month or two in damages to collect. Well, the free market will speak and they will simply lose customers. Completely illogical…if I am missing something…explain it….
Being throttled to 128kbps on T-Mobile (with their “free international data” when I tried it in Europe was insanely slow. I cancelled T-Mobile as soon as I got back stateside.
It will really depend on how much latency Virgin Mobile adds. I suspect T-Mobile proxied their free intl data back to the states.
If there’s low pings, you probably can get by loading web pages with 128k, and CoPilot can get you through that unless you cache up with Wi-Fi on Google Maps before embarking.
T-Mobile’s 5 GB / $30 online-only plan is a good backstop for when you run out of Virgin data. Requires a second smartphone (of course), but you only have to refill once every 90 days to retain the plan once activated.
Thank you virginmobile for affordable and exceptional service all these years.( I guess Sprint also should be included).
I use a higher end of data due to not understanding a lot of terminology/functionality of systems etc. So searching for information/reviews pertaining to info.causes excess usage.
I apologize for this,for I do have better things to do with my time.If I’m going to be penalized for trying to improve my capabilities with a system that in and of itself has so many flaws,I will switch to someone who is capable of doing so.
I have ALWAYS told others how exceptional service and affordable you have been.But maybe that’s something of the past.I’ll miss you,but someone else might prefer a new longterm customer. VIA.CON DIOS! Kapt.k.kal@gmail.com
Funny, I paid for the full service, just in case I need to use it. Mostly I just make and received calls. For what it worth, I have two tablets from different providers and my laptop. So that I don’t need or use what I paying for.
Also received the “friendly” message. I don’t need to start a “business” fool people neither interested. So from now on I’ll pay for what I need and use with you people. I’m just one and encourage other clients to do the same. I have a list of 20 friends that are doing the same and counting….