"Comcast, he added, found that about 10% of its customers consume almost half
of all the data on the operator’s network..."
That's an interesting stat. Sounds like these are the homes that are making
extensive use of video streaming services. And it sounds like they are
consuming more than 300 Gigs a month - perhaps as much as 550 Gig. So how much
TV can you watch if you use ~400 Gig a month?
Akamai says their average user is 10 Mbps or higher. That works out to about
4.5 Gbytes per hour. So 400 Gig gets you about 88 hours a month. The average
number of hours consumed by a U.S. viewer is 5 hr/day, or about 150 hours per
month.
So it seems that even the homes that use the most bandwidth must be augmenting
their Internet streaming with other TV services. Given that Comcast is a MVPD,
one might conclude that even these heavy streamers must still be using the
linear MVPD service close to half the time - perhaps much more if you take into
account that the average household has 2.8 people, who watch about 420 hours of
TV per month on average. The actual unique hours are probably lower for "empty
nesters," and higher for families.
Regards
Craig
http://www.multichannel.com/news/technology/comcast-tests-unlimited-data-option/393392
Comcast Tests ‘Unlimited Data Option’
Comcast will soon kick the tires on an “Unlimited Data Option” in parts of
Florida that lets high-speed Internet subs upload data and stream all the video
they want for an additional $30 per month.
The trial, spotted by DSL Reports and posted by Comcast here, is an enrollment
option that applies only to Comcast subs in Fort Lauderdale, the Keys and
Miami, Florida. Comcast will begin testing the new policy there on October 1,
and is notifying customers in the area about a month in advance, a Comcast
spokesman said.
“The Unlimited Data Option costs the current additional fee of $30 per calendar
month, regardless of actual data usage. The 300 GB plan will not apply to
customers who enroll in the Unlimited Data Option,” Comcast explains in the FAQ.
Comcast has been testing usage-based Internet policies in several markets,
including Atlanta, Miami, Maine, and Nashville, that fits customers with a soft
monthly usage cap of 300 Gigabytes per month. Users who exceed that threshold
are subject to a $10 fee for each additional bucket of 50 GB. Comcast has also
been testing a more variable usage-based policy in Tucson, Ariz., that adjusts
the monthly consumption ceiling based on the speed of the customer’s data tier.
Comcast is also testing a “Flexible-Data Option” that’s tailored for light
Internet users on the MSO’s 3 Mbps Economy Plus tier. That opt-in trial caps
usage at 5 GB per month before customers are subjected to per-gigabyte fees.
Customers who do not exceed the monthly 5 GB ceiling receive a $5 credit, but
will be charged an additional $1 per GB consumed beyond the 5 GB threshold.
By way of example, customers on the Unlimited Data Option who consume 530 GB in
a given month, will be charged $30 extra. Those on the other usage-based policy
would be charged $50 for the additional 250 GB (five blocks of additional 50
GB) provided on top of the 300 GB plan. "Note that customers enrolled in the
Unlimited Data Option who use less than 300 GB in a given month will still be
charged $30 for that month," Comcast explained.
The Unlimited Data Option “is a consumer trial and may be discontinued at any
time,” the MSO noted, adding that data usage plans currently do not apply to
customers on its fiber-based Extreme 505 and Gigabit Pro (2 Gbps) plans, or
business Internet subs on “Bulk Internet agreements.”
Comcast’s original 250-GB fixed cap policy was introduced in October 2008, but
announced in May 2012 that it would begin to trial “improved data usage
management approaches” while suspending enforcement of the old policy.
Update: With respect to the new unlimited data policy it’s testing in Florida,
Comcast, a spokesman said, found in a customer survey with some heavy data
users that 60% “expressed interest in an unlimited data plan option at the
predictable, flat price of around $30 a month.”
Comcast, he added, found that about 10% of its customers consume almost half of
all the data on the operator’s network, “so these trials are based on
principles of flexibility and fairness. They’re flexible, because we got rid of
a static cap and they’re fair because we have trials at both ends of the
spectrum,” he added noting that heavy data users can pay more to use more while
light users on Comcast’s Economy Plus plan can try the aforementioned Flexible
Data Plan.
Regards
Craig
