Data usage guide - how much mobile phone data will you need?
If you have a smartphone and want to use it for anything that requires an internet connection then you will need to use data from your network operator unless you are connected into wi-fi.
Data is the name given to any information transferred over an internet connection and includes:
We measure data in bytes. One byte is just one tiny bit of data. 1 kB (one kilobyte) is one thousand bytes, 1 MB is one million bytes and 1GB is one thousand million bytes.
People generally fall into one of three groups for their data usage:
Mobile network operators in the UK tend to offer data allowance packages in set bundles. Common quantities are: 100MB, 200MB, 500MB, 750MB, 1GB and unlimited. Remember that if this is a monthly contract this amount of data needs to last you the entire month or you will incur excess data charges.
Data is the name given to any information transferred over an internet connection and includes:
- Checking email
- Browsing the internet
- Watching TV / movies
- Looking at YouTube
- Playing online games
We measure data in bytes. One byte is just one tiny bit of data. 1 kB (one kilobyte) is one thousand bytes, 1 MB is one million bytes and 1GB is one thousand million bytes.
People generally fall into one of three groups for their data usage:
- Low user - You use it every so often, to keep up with friends and interesting news. You like to look at web pages, or check your email online through a provider such as Hotmail or Yahoo!. You check your Facebook or Twitter online reasonably often. You rarely play games on your phone or download music directly on the phone. You rarely use your mobile for chatting online or watching any video clips. You are unlikely to use your internet for more than an hour a day, and if you do you are often at home so connected into your home wi-fi for internet access. You would not watch TV on your phone.
- Medium user - You need it for email and browsing the internet while travelling to work. You have set up an email account on your phone so your emails download directly into your phone. You spend quite a bit of time browsing the internet, and download a few games or applications a month. You like to watch video on online streaming sites such as iPlayer every so often and perhaps download a few songs now and then too.
- Heavy user - You rely on your phone for both entertainment and work. You send and receive quite a few emails daily, often with attachments. You watch videos online several times a week and are likely to download a lot of applications and games as well as music for your phone. You like to watch live TV daily.
Mobile network operators in the UK tend to offer data allowance packages in set bundles. Common quantities are: 100MB, 200MB, 500MB, 750MB, 1GB and unlimited. Remember that if this is a monthly contract this amount of data needs to last you the entire month or you will incur excess data charges.
Phone data guide
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500Mb of data will let you:
Look at 5000 basic webpages (mainly text) or Look at 1500 rich webpages (ie with pictures eg. BBC) or Read 500,000 basic emails or Read 1000 rich emails (ie. with attachment eg. a photo) or Download / Stream 100 music songs or Download / Stream video for 1 hour or Listen to online radio for 8 hours or Have a Skype video call for 2 hours or Download / update 80 apps |
1GB of data will let you:
Look at 10,000 basic webpages (mainly text) or Look at 3000 rich webpages (ie with pictures eg. BBC) or Read 1,000,000 basic emails or Read 2000 rich emails (ie. with attachment eg. a photo) or Download / Stream 200 music songs or Download / Stream video for 2 hour or Listen to online radio for 16 hours or Have a Skype video call for 4 hours or Download / update 160 apps |
It is important to remember that your smartphone will use some data everyday even if you are not looking at anything. Some applications on the phone will update themselves like weather widgets and your emails will also download into your phone periodically.
A typical smartphone user in the UK will consume around 100MB of data per day. This is equivalent to about 3GB per month. For this reason, a 4-5GB plan should be suitable for most consumers and will give you an adequate buffer against additional data consumption.
On a low data plan, it is recommended to connect your smartphone to your home wi-fi network when possible. Note that when staying away from home make sure that you take advantage of Free WiFi providers, for example the largest hotel groups in the UK, Premier Inn and Travelodge, both provide a free WiFi service, see Premier Inn WIFi and Travelodge WiFi for more details. This will significantly reduce your data consumption and keep it below 500MB. This is especially important when you want to update your apps or download new ones, it is much better to use your home wi-fi than an expensive mobile data plan.
Low users might get away with a 100MB plan if they are very careful and try to only use the internet when connected into wi-fi, heavy users will need a minimum of 1GB and possibly much more.
How much does it cost if you go over your mobile phone internet limit?
How much it is likely to cost you for going over your allotted mobile phone internet limit is variable, depending on which tariff you have chosen, and which network you are with.
However, in most cases you may find it is very expensive to exceed your mobile data limit. So it is important to find a tariff that matches your data needs. Some mobile networks can charge £5 for an extra 500MB of internet allowance; whilst others can charge £2 - £3 per MB you go over. We strongly advise that you confirm your network beforehand to ensure you choose the right data package to avoid a bill shock at the end of the month.
What is a fair use policy?
Some mobiles will simply limit your internet usage rather than charge extra - called a 'fair use' policy.
This means that you will not incur an extra charge when you use up your monthly allowance, but you may be penalised if you go over what the network decides is 'fair'- often around 500MB.
Depending on your network provider, this may only mean that your internet speed will be considerably reduced, so you will not be able to stream long videos or download large applications.
A typical smartphone user in the UK will consume around 100MB of data per day. This is equivalent to about 3GB per month. For this reason, a 4-5GB plan should be suitable for most consumers and will give you an adequate buffer against additional data consumption.
On a low data plan, it is recommended to connect your smartphone to your home wi-fi network when possible. Note that when staying away from home make sure that you take advantage of Free WiFi providers, for example the largest hotel groups in the UK, Premier Inn and Travelodge, both provide a free WiFi service, see Premier Inn WIFi and Travelodge WiFi for more details. This will significantly reduce your data consumption and keep it below 500MB. This is especially important when you want to update your apps or download new ones, it is much better to use your home wi-fi than an expensive mobile data plan.
Low users might get away with a 100MB plan if they are very careful and try to only use the internet when connected into wi-fi, heavy users will need a minimum of 1GB and possibly much more.
How much does it cost if you go over your mobile phone internet limit?
How much it is likely to cost you for going over your allotted mobile phone internet limit is variable, depending on which tariff you have chosen, and which network you are with.
However, in most cases you may find it is very expensive to exceed your mobile data limit. So it is important to find a tariff that matches your data needs. Some mobile networks can charge £5 for an extra 500MB of internet allowance; whilst others can charge £2 - £3 per MB you go over. We strongly advise that you confirm your network beforehand to ensure you choose the right data package to avoid a bill shock at the end of the month.
What is a fair use policy?
Some mobiles will simply limit your internet usage rather than charge extra - called a 'fair use' policy.
This means that you will not incur an extra charge when you use up your monthly allowance, but you may be penalised if you go over what the network decides is 'fair'- often around 500MB.
Depending on your network provider, this may only mean that your internet speed will be considerably reduced, so you will not be able to stream long videos or download large applications.
