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Broadband Costs and Usage

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Most broadband packages come with a particular limit on how much bandwidth you can use each month. If you exceed this limit your provider will most likely charge you for the additional kilobytes that you have downloaded.

The monthly usage limit is also referred to as a download cap as it reflects how much information can be downloaded in one month. A minimum 1GB download cap allows you to view 10,500 websites, or download the equivalent of about 20 music albums, while a 30GB limit allows you to view 314,500 websites, or download the equivalent of 600 albums.

Sending and receiving emails, making VoIP calls, retrieving attachments and using instant messaging (IM) services also count towards your monthly usage limit.

Unlimited Download Usage & Fair Usage policies

Some ISPs offer broadband packages with unlimited download usage, which in theory allows you to download as much as you want without the worry of exceeding a download limit.

But to ensure heavy users do not get carried away and compromise the internet service, providers also adopt fair usage policies. This means that your unlimited broadband package will most likely have an unspecified ‘fair use’ cap, which if exceeded could result in your broadband connection being cancelled for the rest of that month.

Some ISPs may even charge an additional fee for going beyond this cap. Details on fair usage are included in the terms and conditions section of a broadband contract.

Deciding on level of monthly bandwidth allowance

Deciding on how much bandwidth allowance is needed largely depends on the length of time you use the internet and the types of information you download.  Many people make the mistake of going for packages with less bandwidth than they require and end up getting charged for over using, while others opt for a higher usage limit than they actually need and end up paying more than they should each month.

If you use the internet frequently, download many music and video files, or you are a keen online gamer, you are likely to need a broadband package with a large download limit, or one with an unlimited download allowance – especially if you plan on sharing the broadband connection with other users.

But if you only require the internet for visiting websites, emails, chatting online and occasionally downloading music or video files, then it may be more cost effective to go for a package with a monthly usage limit of 1GB or 2GB.

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