Is Viasat Truly Unlimited?
Viasat is a satellite internet service provider that provides satellite internet to customers in the United States of America. They offer a plan known as the “Unlimited Bronze 12” plan under their internet services. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this plan promises unlimited data without any actual hard limits on it. But I am not convinced when we start looking at the specifics of this plan, is it an unlimited data plan? Let's investigate further.
The Unlimited Data Claim
In my opinion, Viasat is very specific with its Unlimited Bronze 12 plan, offering unlimited high-speed data. While advertising and marketing their services on the internet, the use of such terms as ‘no hard data limits’ and ‘unlimited data’ is common. This makes it sound like you can feed the model as much data as you could desire, and this is not true at all.
God’s Honest Truth about Unmetered Internet Connection
Nonetheless, it is crucial to observe the details of the Unlimited Bronze 12 plan as the plan has its constraints. When the customer uses 150 GB per month, the company may throttle the data of that customer to ensure that it provides service to other consumers who are also subscribed to the same company. This roughly translates to being able to achieve certain speeds, which may be less than what is advertised if the network is congested.
Although there is no specific “cap” on your data usage beyond which your connection is entirely shut down, your speeds are not necessarily certain after 150 GB. You also risk getting deprioritized for the rest part of the month in case you use beyond 150GB of data per month. Thus, the idea of unlimited is preserved, but ‘unlimited high-speed’ is limited.
In Theory, There is Nothing Called Limited Data
In theory, this means true unlimited data is an indication that you should be able to use as much data as you wish at the same speed. However, in actuality, internet service providers cannot deliver those speeds to each of their consumers who use extreme amounts of data on the internet. Organizations require those means through which they can effectively manage the network reasonably.
So while Viasat says that it offers ‘unlimited data’ it must weigh the freedom to let the customers use as much data as they would like with the responsibility to regulate speeds and usage for a quality experience. This is a definition of unlimited data suitable for current constraints seen in satellite and broadband networks.
Other Unlimited Data Compromises which are common
But to be fair to Viasat, the carrier isn’t alone in this kind of more literal interpretation of ‘unlimited data’. Some of the key cable and mobile service providers also throttle speeds once a customer reaches a determined limit on their unlimited plan. They are more focused on delivering a usable Internet experience to the average Joe instead of the heavy or above-average Internet users.
Some key things to watch for on an unlimited data plan include: Some key things to watch for on an unlimited data plan include:
- Reduced speed after setting a monthly limit on the usage of a given threshold
- To be treated as a low priority during congestion when it gets to some amount of data passed
- Video streams being limited to 480p or any resolution that is lower than 1080p even if you are on an unlimited plan.
Thus, the days of an ‘unlimited data scheme’ that offers customers unlimited data at the same speed at any time of the month are over. Some of the things I have noted is that there are always some restrictions and trade-offs that are made to ensure that the network is being controlled while at the same time fully offering unlimited access.
Under Which Scenario Does, ‘Unlimited Data’ Do Best
Therefore, satellite internet like Viasat’s unlimited data plans are capable of handling traditional household internet usage. Most viewers do not go beyond 150GB per month when using their online services for streaming HD videos, browsing the web, engaging in social media, playing games, and other related activities.
The proposal is rather fair: only those customers who exceed the limits of the unlimited plan deeply may experience the reduced speed of the Internet connection. That’s 500 GB+ a month – more than the amounts they warned us exceed of 350 GB per month and ten times the average usage of a household.
Therefore, satellite internet with unlimited data can still be considered a suitable choice for rural clients. Just know that now the unlimited claims still include some amount of speed throttling for the relatively few of each month’s heavy data users.
In Summary
The most important factor that has been considered in defining the term ‘unlimited’ in an internet service is somewhat difficult to determine. However, based on the usage terms and conditions, we can see that Viasat’s Unlimited Bronze 12 plan does not restrict users from accessing as much data as they want because technically, Viasat does not set any data limit on the plan. However, one has to note that these speeds are only truly unlimited up to 150 GB per month.
Thus, though there are references to ‘unlimited’ data, ‘unlimited’ high-speed data again has a caveat. This also lets Viasat deliver an unlimited service to its customers while at the same time managing its network prudently. For most customers, usage levels though, could still be compared to a truly unlimited internet experience most of the time. But do know that there are still limitations when it comes to this kind of plan and that these limitations can be found in the small print.