Unmetered or high-bandwidth plans may have fair-use policies; sustained heavy use can be throttled. Read the AUP; ask for concrete numbers. Dedicated bandwidth or committed rates avoid surprises.
Fair-use and throttling
- Unmetered: Often means "no hard cap" but subject to fair use. Sustained high transfer (e.g. constant 100 Mbps 24/7) may be throttled or trigger a review. Read the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP).
- Throttling: Provider may reduce your speed (e.g. to 10 Mbps) after a threshold or during peak. Ask: at what point does throttling kick in, and to what speed?
- Concrete numbers: Request written or published fair-use thresholds (e.g. "sustained use above X Mbps may be throttled"). Avoid providers that are vague.
How to avoid surprises
- Dedicated bandwidth: You get a committed rate (e.g. 100 Mbps) that is not shared and not subject to fair-use throttling. Higher cost but predictable.
- Committed use: Some plans guarantee a minimum or burst; understand what is guaranteed vs best-effort.
- Overage vs throttle: Some plans charge for overage; others throttle. Know which you have and plan capacity or upgrades accordingly.
Summary
Unmetered and high-bandwidth plans often have fair-use; sustained heavy use can be throttled. Read the AUP and ask for concrete thresholds. For predictable performance, consider dedicated or committed bandwidth.
