Why do cell phones have a data limit but home internet doesn't?
I_Miss_Daniel @ I_Miss_Daniel @lemmy.world Posts 3Comments 591Joined 2 yr. ago
I_Miss_Daniel @ I_Miss_Daniel @lemmy.world
Posts
3
Comments
591
Joined
2 yr. ago
For cell / mobile phones, you're sharing the capacity of the cell among multiple people.
In this example, a rural cell tower can provide up to 395Mbps.
It would only take 40 people watching Kayo at high definition (or any high definition video service) via their phone or a 4G router to saturate this tower.
For everyone else at this time, it'll still work but even though they might have a strong radio signal (lots of bars), the internet will become slow.
Limiting monthly usage, or charging more for more data per month, reduces the risk of saturation.