Is Viasat Unlimited?
Viasat is an Internet via satellite service provider that has an unlimited data package offer. However, there are some points that any customer interested in Viasat service should consider controversial with the term ‘unlimited’. Here is what it means to have ‘unlimited’ data with Viasat’s satellite internet.
Data Caps
On the one hand, Viasat does not have the strict monthly data limits that are common in what other satellite internet providers offer, but even the so-called ‘unlimited’ plans have soft monthly limits on data that throttle the user’s speeds after this amount of data is used.
For example, for the lower tiers of Viasat plans, such as the Basic 12, the soft data cap begins after the user has used approximately 150 GB of data monthly. In the case of the unlimited high-tier plans, which are the silver and gold plans, the soft data cap slows down speeds after approximately 200–300 GB of monthly usage. This implies that although the usage of data could be considered infinite because you can constantly use data, the speeds slow down significantly.
Speed Restrictions
As already discussed, Viasat’s unlimited plans also come with other speed limits beyond the soft data caps restricting speed after a given level of data usage. Even with unlimited data usage, the basic 12 Mbps is only available in the basic 12 unlimited plan, which is the entry-level plan. The tier-unlimited plans are offered at higher tiers, offering up to 100 Mbps, but those are only achieved during early mornings between 3 AM and 6 AM. The speeds on the unlimited plans are slower when usage is high, usually during typical work from 8 am to 5 pm.
Network Management
In its terms of service, Viasat says that it retains the right to control, during congestion and during periods when the network is heavily laden, the unlimited data plans offered. This means that throughput speeds and bandwidth could be temporarily reduced for some of the customers on unlimited data plans if capacity is overused within the local beam that serves the particular region. It means that they are even more restrictive than their name suggests, especially when there is a high demand for them.
Streaming Video Limitations
Like most satellite broadband providers, Viasat is very liberal with its data limits when it comes to its unlimited data plans. Video streaming quality is set to standard 480p from the get-go of most of the plans. Moreover, the streaming capability is restricted to a maximum of 5 Mbps per stream, and hence you can only watch videos at the limited speeds of 12 to 100 Mbps offered by the various plans. It would be impossible to stream 4K videos using this network, for instance, Viasat.
Priority Data
To control network capacity, some of the “priority data” benefits, according to the company, are provided only to the clients who subscribe to the higher-tier unlimited plans. Indeed, people on higher-plan packages enjoy relatively faster internet speeds during network congestions, as opposed to people on comparatively cheaper packages. It is not the same that all the customers who subscribe to unlimited plans get to enjoy it fully.
Conclusion
Even though Viasat does indeed provide relatively unlimited data without specific and strict monthly usage restrictions, there are indeed many restrictions in the form of a reduction of speeds following various data quotas as well as management measures during times of traffic congestion. Before people get into the purchase of a Viasat unlimited plan, they have to ensure that they take their time and look at all the restrictions mentioned above carefully. While the Silver plan offers more data than the Platinum and Bronze plans, only the Gold plan can be considered as providing a premium unlimited package on Viasat.