Rogers: 95% of iPhone Users Use Less Than 500MB Per Month Canadian carrier defends its very low caps with first month usage stats... Canadian ISP Rogers, no strangers to caps and throttling, received a lot of grief when they first unveiled their iPhone pricing. Initially the carrier offered users their choice of 400MB ($60), 750MB, ($75) 1GB ($100) or 2GB ($115) caps, but rabid complaints forced them to eventually pony up a limited time tier with a 6GB monthly cap for $30. This week finds Rogers justifying their move by claiming that 95% of iPhone users in Canada consumed less than 500MB during their first month. "We had a quick chat with Elizabeth Hamilton, the Director of Corporate Communications at Rogers, this week, and it turns out they may not have been so completely mistaken with the plans offered after all. First month stats show that 1.2% of iPhone customers used more than 1GB of data in the first four weeks, 95% used less than 500MB, and 91.2% used less than 100MB." Of course customers may have been so scared to go over their limits that they tempered usage, given Rogers charges fifty cents per megabyte (up to 60MB, then 3 cents per MB after that). It would be interesting to see raw data from subsequent months, but ISPs rarely submit full raw network data. Usually, you'll only get just enough to aid whatever point they're trying to make (in this case that their caps are reasonable).
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 | | im shocked that people are using it and telling rogers where to go with there caps. | |
|  ptrowskiGot Helix?Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
kudos:4 | Interesting... When at home I am on Wifi, but with casual use I have used 331MB. | |
|  |  E_VPremium
join:2000-09-29
Vancouver, BC
kudos:4 | Re: Interesting... said by ptrowski:When at home I am on Wifi, but with casual use I have used 331MB. Same here, of course if I was downloading torrents it would change all that. 
Thankfully I'm not being charged for the amount of time I spend tinkering on it and experimenting with apps. | |
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 en102Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | Lets see what kind of usage Occurs around the holidays. First month or service is not a true test.
Also, is that 'first 4 weeks that the iPhone has been available' or first 4 weeks of use per user? Data may be skewed as the initial use of iPhones were not at day 1 for everyone.
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Canada = Hollywood North | |
| |  MattAll noise, no signal.Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
kudos:12 | Re: Lets see what kind of usage said by en102:Occurs around the holidays. First month or service is not a true test. Also, is that 'first 4 weeks that the iPhone has been available' or first 4 weeks of use per user? Data may be skewed as the initial use of iPhones were not at day 1 for everyone. I'd say the first month is a GREAT indicator of usage. That's when a user wants to try everything and download tons of apps/games to try them out.
The novelty will wear off after a while and they will fall into a more consistent usage pattern much lower than their first month.
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Linux Haters Unite! | |
| | | en102Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA
1 edit | Re: Lets see what kind of usage While that may be true, I don't suspect that eveyone also had a true 'full month', if I read that quote properly (first month of a user may not be the same as first 4 weeks that the iPhone was available). Some had 4 weeks, some had 3 weeks, etc.
I suspect that 'kids' may end up with high initial uses, as you are saying, as its a new toy (youtube, facebook, surfing, just because, etc). Business users will use the device as a tool (maps, directions, email).
I'd suspect that holiday time (Thanksgiving through New Years) would have a serious spike in traffic for those that use the device for directions, online purchases, travelling, etc. Xmas day users could probably crash it down on AT&T though.
Weird that iPhone 3G users had 91% less than 100MB in a month though. I used Mini Opera on a Samsung ZX-20, and I'd hit 15-20MB/day... and I don't have email setup.
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Canada = Hollywood North | |
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 sbrookPremium,Mod
join:2001-12-14
Ottawa
kudos:4
 ·TekSavvy Cable
·Rogers Hi-Speed
| Dummo! If they haven't signed up for the high usage plan, of course they'll be using low amounts! Got to measure usage based on the caps ... sheesh.
That's like asking people who use the bus already whether they need a new service on a different route.
Duh! | |
| |  mlernerPremium
join:2000-11-25
Nepean, ON
kudos:5 | Re: Dummo! said by sbrook:If they haven't signed up for the high usage plan, of course they'll be using low amounts! Got to measure usage based on the caps ... sheesh. That's like asking people who use the bus already whether they need a new service on a different route. Duh! LOL exactly. A fair comparison would be to take all users on the 6 GB plans and apply the relevant stats. Scary part is these may be the numbers that management has been getting all along in which case that means even management has no idea about our data usage. | |
| | | | high usage plan? Maybe back in the days of a commodore 64. | |
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 pogPremium
join:2004-06-03
Kihei, HI
 ·Hawaiian Telcom
| Learning curve... Maybe not exactly a learning curve... maybe more of a getting-into-things curve.
Anyway, how many of the 95% are just slowly getting used to the idea of what's possible with their shiny new phones? Give them time and they'll be using loads of data, too.
Isn't this a bit like saying 95% of brand new 4-wheel-drive vehicles haven't been taken off-road? Oh wait... most people with such vehicles will never do that anyway. Maybe Rogers has a point.  j/k
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My Site | |
| |  BrazbitPremium
join:2003-10-22
Port Orchard, WA | Re: Learning curve... I know that with my smart phone each month sees more and more use. Few people know instinctively what there usage is and so probably quite a few start out conservatively in fear of going over and then will add a bit each month until they settle into a reasonable amount of use without having to worry about capping.
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For additional information on this subject please visit your local library. | |
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 ropeguruPremium
join:2001-01-25
Mechanicsville, VA | My guess... Is that their usage data is probably coming from the same place that Bell got their data to support throttling. In other words, it is no existent to support their claims. | |
|  JSYPremium
join:2000-04-05
Elmhurst, NY | Rogers keeps missing the point.. No one every said that the majority would go over the cap, but it was the fact that there was a ridiculous cap at a ridiculous price. If you go by their argument - then you can easily say: since people don't use much bandwidth - why even have a cap in the first place if only 1.2% are going over the cap? Is that 1.2% really putting a strain on the network? So before Rogers puts their foot in their mouths again, they should take a look and see how those stats can be used against their argument that they felt caps were necessary in the first place.
What they're telling me in this is that they really don't need the low caps since their studies show that most people don't go over them, but they're willing to try to charge you more anyway. | |
| | elwoodbluesElwood BluesPremium
join:2006-08-30
HarperLand | Re: Rogers keeps missing the point.. Touche! | |
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| | Well, of course they aren't using it much. Well, lets see here.
Lets say I decide to run a cell phone service for the Apple iPhone, internet charge: $100 a month, bandwidth cap 100MB, $100 per BYTE over the limit.
I'm sure the report will read: 10% of SuperLame Cell Phone provider use less than 5MB of bandwidth a month, the other 90% does not use the internet in fear of bandwidth charges. | |
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2 edits | this is so stupid i compare this to my eating habits.
i go to a local a la carte japanese restaurant and i eat one or 2 rolls of sushi cause it costs me about 10 dollars a roll so i pay about 20 bucks.
i go to a local all you can eat japanese restaurant and i eat about 4 or 5 rolls of sushi, cause it doesn't matter how much i eat i pay about 20 bucks.
could i eat 4 or 5 rolls of sushi at the a la carte japenese restaurant... of course i can, and i would but it would mean that i would pay 40 bucks so I don't..... | |
| | | Rogers: 95% of iPhone Users Use Less Than 500MB Per Month and the average user on dial-up does 5 gigabytes a month. Gee maybe everyone went back to dial-up in Canada. | |
| | | LAWLFEST Geeee i wonder why people do not use more bandwith when...
A, they do not have unlimited plans comparable to the USA or some places in europe.
B, retardedly high overage charges
C, the fact apple greatly reduced the ammount of Iphones sent to roger because of their abuse of monopoly.
D, Rogers fails at providing a good network with reasonable useage policys... | |
| | | Roges and Comcast Caps This issue parallels the Comcast 250 GB cap debate. Often, the individuals that want access to "unlimited" data transfer are the ones that don't need it. It doesn't make sense for businesses to cater to the needs of a minute group of individuals that are using a disproportionately large amount of network resources. | |
| cgigate
join:2003-05-12
Fort Worth, TX | Rogers=Robber! Canadian Robber! shamed! | |
| | | bandwidth usage i'd just like to say that my personal data usage, though "low" (400mb or so - i use wifi when i'm at home), has a lot to do with the dismal battery life that i experience surfing/streaming with 3g during the day.
unfortunate as it is, i find myself throttling my own usage in order to conserve battery life, especially when I know i will not have access to a power outlet / my charger on the go later in the evening.
bring on better battery technology (tech needs catch-up in this department!) | |
| confq
join:2008-04-26
Toronto, ON | how about lower rates to start if this is the case why not offer 1 gb for 10 bux? why does it have to be so over priced arrghhh | |
| Fishie
join:2003-01-14
Riverside, CA | So why have caps? I keep seeing these corporations issuing data to prove that 5% or less of their users are using large amounts of bandwidth. This just proves that it is not a "problem" with the majority. So why punish everyone when they could just enforce a TOS onto the 5% that they think is using more than their fair share?
If less than 5% of their users are using large amounts of a paid service and the companies do not like it, then they should enforce rules on those 5%. Historically, companies seem to absorb the added cost from those 5% and use them as advertising agents to get more people signed up for their service. | |
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