NEW YORK — Are you a wireless-data glutton or a nibbler? Many Verizon Wireless customers will have to figure that out — perhaps as soon as this week — as the country’s largest wireless carrier is set to introduce data plans with monthly usage caps.
Verizon hasn’t said what its plans will look like. But because AT&T introduced capped data plans a year ago and T-Mobile USA eliminated its unlimited-data plan in May, this is well-trod ground.
The new Verizon plans will likely apply only to new customers or people trading up to smartphones. They could also apply to smartphone users buying new phones.
The tricky thing about capped data plans is that few people have a clue how much a megabyte of data is, so they don’t know much to sign up for. Phones themselves aren’t much help: Although they can tell you how much data you’ve consumed, they can’t tell you which of your smartphone’s functions are responsible.
For AT&T, the introduction of data caps has gone quite well, but some customers complain because their data-usage reports are hard to decipher. AT&T says 90 percent of its customers on capped plans stay within the limits, but it won’t say how much those who go over end up paying, on average.
Verizon now charges $30 a month for unlimited smartphone data.
A look at potential monthly caps:
Less than 200 MB
It’s possible Verizon could have an entry-level plan for $10 or so per month with a very low data limit, such as 75 megabytes per month.
But any plan with less than 200 megabytes per month should be considered mainly a tease. It will be hard to stay under the limit. E-mail, automatic software updates and other data consumption in the background will easily eat up 75 megabytes in a month.
That could leave you paying $10 or more in overuse fees — more than you would if you had chosen a more expensive plan.
200 MB
This is a popular size, offered by AT&T ($15 per month) and T-Mobile ($10). When it introduced this plan, AT&T said 65 percent of its subscribers consumed less than 200 megabytes.
But that was a year ago. The average monthly data consumption for a smartphone user then was 230 megabytes per month, according to an analysis of phone bills by the Nielsen Co. In the first quarter of this year, the figure had grown to 435 megabytes per month.
It’s still possible to get by on 200 megabytes per month. If you’re a light user, stay away from applications such as online music streaming and Netflix video. Use Wi-Fi rather than the phone’s cellular network as much as possible. Wi-Fi usage doesn’t count toward your data limit.
2 GB
This is AT&T’s “standard” plan, for which it charges $25 per month. T-Mobile charges $20. This will be enough for most people. AT&T said last year that the plan would satisfy 98 percent of its smartphone users. That figure is undoubtedly lower today. If you like to stream online music or videoconference for hours on end or watch Netflix movies, you’ll blow past it.
5 GB
T-Mobile charges $30 for this tier, or $10 more than the 2-gigabyte plan. Verizon would likely charge substantially more. This would be for those who spend a lot of time on their phones.
What if you don’t want to bother with any of this? Sprint Nextel still offers unlimited data, seeing it as a crucial way to keep and attract customers.
Tips for curbing megabyte appetite
If you have a cellphone with a monthly limit on how much data you can use, here are some tips on what types of phone use will gobble up your precious megabytes:
Streaming video, videoconferencing
The biggest offender. One minute of YouTube- quality video eats up 2 megabytes. If you’re on a plan that gives you 200 megabytes per month, you can’t even watch Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” video once per day. If you’re on a 2-gigabyte plan, you can, but don’t make your iPhone a replacement for a TV.
Streaming audio
Audio consumes about a quarter of the data that video does, but 10 minutes a day will break the bank if you’re on a 200-megabyte plan. One hour a day of Pandora consumes nearly a gigabyte.
Photos
If you’re a real shutterbug, photos can consume significant amounts of data. Posting 10 per day eats up most of a 200-megabyte plan. If you’re on a 2-gigabyte plan, you probably don’t have to worry.
Maps
Navigation apps consume up to a megabyte a minute. You’re also likely to use them for long periods of time when you’re away from Wi-Fi, such as when you’re driving.
Web surfing
Pages vary widely in size, so this will depend quite a bit on whether you like to visit graphically rich sites or text-oriented ones. But roughly speaking, 10 pages a day will eat up about half of a 200-megabyte plan.
Social networking
Facebook updates won’t take much data, but sending photos and viewing friends’ pictures will. Like e-mail, Twitter’s short messages don’t use much data, but if you follow a lot of people and click on links, usage adds up.
Most are tiny, in terms of data. Basically, you can send and receive e-mails all you want, as long as they don’t have attachments.
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