T-Mobile agrees to show correct SpeedTests when throttling customers into oblivion
T-Mobile, while one of the only carriers in the US to offer completely unlimited data plans, was also one of the first to pioneer the practice of throttling its customers’ data speeds in lieu of charging overages. But there was still more work to be done. While customers no longer needed to live in fear of “bill shock,” there was still a greater need of transparency.
As it stands right, when a customer has their data speeds to reduced a crawl (usually around 128kbps or 64kbps), some speed tests will only show the speed of T-Mobile’s network as it normally stands — not the current throttled speeds. But, as part of an agreement with the FCC, T-Mobile is making some changes starting today, that they will fully implement over the next 2 months.
Here are the items T-Mobile agreed to:
- Send customers a text message once they hit their monthly high-speed data allotment linking to a
speed test that customers can use to determine their actual reduced speed - Provide a button on customer smartphones linking to a speed test that will show actual reduced
speeds - Modify the text messages it currently sends to customers once they hit their monthly high-speed
data allotment to make it clear that certain speed tests may show network speeds, rather than their
reduced speed. The modified texts also will provide more information about the speeds that will
be available after customers exceed their data cap - Modify its website disclosures to better explain T-Mobile’s policies regarding speed test
applications and where consumers can get accurate speed information.
Full disclosure is always good and should help clear some of the confusion associated with T-Mobile’s throttling policies and data speeds. Score 1 for the little guy.