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What I don't understand is if we get faster speeds, will we still see data buckets stay the same? I mean what's the point of a faster network if you're still ca

What I don't understand is if we get faster speeds, will we still see data buckets stay the same? I mean what's the point of a faster network if you're still capped at 2,5,10GB. And will qualcomm be the only game in town thanks to patents? My iPhone Xs feels like a bicycle in terms of data speed, while my Galaxy S8 is 2-3 times faster.

kevin_thibedeau 8y ago
The point is to service more users per cell at the same effective data rate. Premium plans may enjoy prioritization and a larger bandwidth allocation similar to how cable ISPs have segmented their service tiers.
tzs 8y ago
> I mean what's the point of a faster network if you're still capped at 2,5,10GB. For those (a large majority, I suspect) whose actual data usage is determine by factors that have little to do with the network, the point of a faster network is less time waiting. For example, I'm going to take about the same number of photos on my phone if I'm on a fast network as I will if I'm on a slow network. The fast network, though, will mean less waiting to transfer the photos to my desktop for editing or for sharing. A good way to see this is to go the other way. Suppose you have a 10 GB cap. Would you object if your network were slowed down to dial-up modem speed (56 kb/sec)? That's more than enough to transfer 10 GB/month, so what's the point of anything faster if you have a 10 GB cap?
- kylec 8y ago
  I get what you're saying, but the faster your connection speed is the easier it is to inadvertently use more data. With my carrier if you hit the monthly limit they throttle you to 128Kbps, which is basically unusable. However, they offer a plan that's capped to 3Mbps all the time, which is fast enough for virtually everything I need and makes it much harder to hit the monthly data cap. I actually prefer always getting 3Mbps any time I want to use my phone compared to the more expensive plan which might get 30-50Mbps... until you hit your cap and you're throttled to 128Kbps. (But, as you'd imagine, if I'm A-OK with 3Mbps, I have a hard time seeing what benefit 5G brings me.)
- bradknowles 8y ago
  You might start off taking the same number of photos, but as you can upload them much faster, you will start taking a lot more photos and the photos you take will be a lot larger. The "if you build it, they will come" model applies to the creation and administration of most any constrained shared resource, whether that be roads or network bandwidth.
holy_city 8y ago
>I mean what's the point of a faster network if you're still capped at 2,5,10GB Bandwidth isn't just increasing to meet future demand but to ease existing demand. I recall a conversation I had with an industry exec a few years back, they told me that bandwidth demand roughly doubled every year while all they could do to keep up was increase cell density, which isn't always viable or cheap. I think there's way too much marketing on 5G like it's going to revolutionize telecoms overnight. It's going to ease some of the strain on the networks as its rolled out over the next few years, and hopefully provide better QoS eventually.

kevin_thibedeau 8y ago

The point is to service more users per cell at the same effective data rate. Premium plans may enjoy prioritization and a larger bandwidth allocation similar to how cable ISPs have segmented their service tiers.

tzs 8y ago

> I mean what's the point of a faster network if you're still capped at 2,5,10GB. For those (a large majority, I suspect) whose actual data usage is determine by factors that have little to do with the network, the point of a faster network is less time waiting. For example, I'm going to take about the same number of photos on my phone if I'm on a fast network as I will if I'm on a slow network. The fast network, though, will mean less waiting to transfer the photos to my desktop for editing or for sharing. A good way to see this is to go the other way. Suppose you have a 10 GB cap. Would you object if your network were slowed down to dial-up modem speed (56 kb/sec)? That's more than enough to transfer 10 GB/month, so what's the point of anything faster if you have a 10 GB cap?

kylec 8y ago
I get what you're saying, but the faster your connection speed is the easier it is to inadvertently use more data. With my carrier if you hit the monthly limit they throttle you to 128Kbps, which is basically unusable. However, they offer a plan that's capped to 3Mbps all the time, which is fast enough for virtually everything I need and makes it much harder to hit the monthly data cap. I actually prefer always getting 3Mbps any time I want to use my phone compared to the more expensive plan which might get 30-50Mbps... until you hit your cap and you're throttled to 128Kbps. (But, as you'd imagine, if I'm A-OK with 3Mbps, I have a hard time seeing what benefit 5G brings me.)
bradknowles 8y ago
You might start off taking the same number of photos, but as you can upload them much faster, you will start taking a lot more photos and the photos you take will be a lot larger. The "if you build it, they will come" model applies to the creation and administration of most any constrained shared resource, whether that be roads or network bandwidth.

holy_city 8y ago

>I mean what's the point of a faster network if you're still capped at 2,5,10GB Bandwidth isn't just increasing to meet future demand but to ease existing demand. I recall a conversation I had with an industry exec a few years back, they told me that bandwidth demand roughly doubled every year while all they could do to keep up was increase cell density, which isn't always viable or cheap. I think there's way too much marketing on 5G like it's going to revolutionize telecoms overnight. It's going to ease some of the strain on the networks as its rolled out over the next few years, and hopefully provide better QoS eventually.