T-Mobile might throttle some unlimited data users

By Williams Pelegrin August 13, 2014

tmobile free line t mobile — Image used with permission by copyright holder

While both Verizon and AT&T no longer offer truly unlimited data plans, T-Mobile bucks the trend by continuing to offer unlimited data for interested consumers. However, a leaked memo reveals that T-Mobile looks to change that by throttling data for a subset of users.

Related: Verizon tells FCC that data throttling is necessary to keep the network going

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According to the alleged memo, which was obtained by TmoNews, those with unlimited data plans who use their devices for peer-to-peer file sharing or downloading torrents will soon find their data cut short.

“T-Mobile has identified customers who are heavy data users and are engaged in peer-to-peer file sharing, and tethering outside of T-Mobile’s Terms and Conditions (T&C),” reads the memo. “This results in a negative data network experience for T-Mobile customers.” The memo specifically states that, beginning on August 17, T-Mobile will first warn those users of their activities. If those users continue their activities, T-Mobile will throttle their data.

It’ll be interesting to see what reaction this causes in the mobile community. Verizon also wants to begin throttling data for unlimited data users, though this caught the attention of the FCC for the way Verizon is going about its new policy. In the same response, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler also sent letters to Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile, which asked about their respective policies in terms of throttling.

You can see the alleged internal memo below.

T-Mobile internal memo — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Related: Is it over? Sprint and T-Mobile may not merge after all

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Williams Pelegrin

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…

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