[newtothisthing]

I was talking to an O2 rep last week about data usage on my blackberry and what deals were available on the new Bold 9900.

They were pushing the 500mb per month tariff.

He told me that he was advised by a Blackberry rep that 90% of Blackberry users in the UK use less than 100mb per month.

I'm fully aware that the Blackberry servers have a high compression ratio but does that seem right?

I have no reason to doubt what he told me as it is not in his interest to sell me a lower tariff.

Thanks

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[_StephenBB81]

That sounds very believable,

The bulk of users would not be using youtube, or heavy web surfing, they will be BBM, FaceBook, Twitter, SMS and phone calls, it would be easy to stay under 100MB with just those uses,

[dictoresno]

i consider myself an average user with a bunch of email/bbms/facebook etc and only a little browser usage per month and i use 150-250 MB a month. a heavier user would easily be able to use a GB....with people streaming junk easily using upwards of 3+.

90% seems like a lot for only using 100MB or less. but then again, i wouldve figured my data usage was higher than it is. i would call BS just on the fact that the rep told you that. i take anything carrier reps tell me with a gain of salt unless they really sound like they know what theyre talking about vs what they are told to tell you.

wouldnt it be convenient for them to sell you a 100MB plan just because "thats what everyone else uses" only to bang you out with overage fees when you find out you used 2GB for your needs??

get a plan that YOU think you need, not what they wanna sell you. i would get the higher priced plan for a few months. then review your data usage and see if you can drop to a lower plan.

[Krypto]

This is completely plausible. I am a heavy BB user, although I don't browse the web a extensively and I don't stream video. But by using WiFi when I'm at home and work, I usually keep my monthly consumption to 300MB or less. I have yet to break 500MB without tethering on a regular basis.

In contrast, my husband is a more typical BB user and uses his phone for calls, emails, BBM and finding phone numbers online. His usage is usually in the 50MB range.

Basically, unless you regularly stream audio or video, it is extremely difficult to go over 500MB on a BB. It is possible to do, but you really have to push your phone hard.

Now then, I have gone up to a 6GB plan myself, but that is solely so I can tether whenever I want.

[newtothisthing]

A few good points there. I generally take anything a sales rep tells me with a pinch of salt.

I did ask about charges over the limit, ie over 100mb and was told there is no charge. I will just see the connection really slow.

I'm currently with orange on pay as you go and get what sounds a paltry 50mb.

In 18 months I don't believe I've ever burst that.

Therefore from my personal experience 100mb would suffice.

However, when looking at the new Bold and the fast internet speed, I may want to use youtube etc, therefore allowance would increase.

I'm mainly an email, bbm, twitter, news internet site man therefore what many would call a light user.

Fairly sure that if I was on android / iphone I would be consuming more data though!

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[ignites]

i spent 1 hr tether on my playbook the other day and used 150 mb of data.... (i do not have overage fees on my first month) so it really depends on yourself.. typically i used ~ 5 mb per day... once again depends on yourself

[southlander]

My fiancee does mostly messaging for work and personal use. She also uses a few apps like Weatherbug. Comes in at 50MB/month. I'd call her a very light data user.

I message, browse a lot, download podcasts, and use more apps. I come in at about 500MB. I rarely stream video or music though. I'd call myself an above average data consumer.

I'd say 100MB would be average and on the light side. Of course that should change some with the OS7 devices. I think the older phones -- people see those as messaging devices mainly. Smaller screens, slower in general for web browsing. The OS7 devices are fast and more likely to be used for web/apps and media I think.

[jeffrey4670]

Hi, I am also on O2 with 100mb data. I have had my Bold two months now and the first month was 9mb and this month so far is 12mb. I don't use the Internet, but use BBM & lots of emails. I was very surprised how little it uses. Jeff

[jbs-horn]

I'm a fairly heavy browser/email user but almost never do any multimedia on my 9700. Because I'm on an enterprise plan I have to purchae 2 gigs from AT&T, but the most I have ever used was 170 megs. Usually it comes in at around 100 megs.

[T�nis]

I make heavy use of instant messengers, I check forums all day long, and have emails pushed to my BlackBerry. I'm usually around 100mb/mo, often less. I can't imagine using 200, much less 500 or a gig, lol.

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[blackberry-unlocking710]

There are many Blackberry users with BIS and old phones... using BBM mostly.. so it's less then 100mb... but a regular users today will use more then 100.

No speeds of the connection and of the device itself are improved and many new apps are around.

[Saiga]

My wife hardly uses any data on her BB. She always uses less than 100MB a month. But I use around a gig monthly now that the PB has entered my life.

[T�nis]

The playbook is certainly a different story. I was using anywhere from 5-15 gigs when I was using my Sprint EVDO connection card with my laptop (video calls, streaming music, etc.), but I can't see doing that on my Bold.

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[Saiga]

The way Bridge works it's awesome for just using up data. lol It's kind of bad to say this, but after paying $30 a month and using less than a gig for years I'm happy to let my PB use up that extra data any chance I get.

[Jaguarr40]

I am on a 150mb plan with VZw and use my BB 9930 Bold pretty heavy but don't stream music or videos so I don't com near my limit. I was told by 3 carriers that the reason they left unlimited and went to tier was because 95% of all smartphone users do not use 2gb a month.

You would be safe as long as you stay away from music and videos and when I do wantto look at videos I go to WIFI at work or home.

[avt123]

On my BB I was lucky if I used under 500MB a month. 100MB definitely seems possible if all the person is doing is BBM/IM, email and browsing mobile sites. If you plan on using a lot of media (streaming video or music) then 100MB most likely will not be enough.

[anon(2108368)]

I was talking to an O2 rep last week about data usage on my blackberry and what deals were available on the new Bold 9900.

They were pushing the 500mb per month tariff.

He told me that he was advised by a Blackberry rep that 90% of Blackberry users in the UK use less than 100mb per month.

I'm fully aware that the Blackberry servers have a high compression ratio but does that seem right?

I have no reason to doubt what he told me as it is not in his interest to sell me a lower tariff.

Thanks

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Based on my experience, I would believe this to be true. For the longest time (as recently as early 2010) we still had some original BB accounts at a ridiculous 4MB and you'd be surprised that the majority stayed under it. OS6, BBM growth and a better browser eventually required us to get bigger plans.

I would say the current average is anywhere from 100-300MB. As someone else pointed out, using wifi at work and home (if possible) dramatically reduces the data used.

Any media streaming (youtube, podcasts, etc.) and sharing (pics\videos\etc.) will drive up your data usage. I would consider myself a moderate to heavy user, and if I didn't use wifi i'd probably be in the 400-700MB range. With wifi, I'm always around 100-200MB (with medium email use, light app use, heavy browsing\rss, moderate bbm usage, no apps running in background).

As a consumer, you're better to start with the 1GB plan. Sadly, a lot of sales people will push lower plans because if you go over, you pay ridiculous overages (some companies have started to notify you when you are close to going over your data plan). The price difference between a 500MB and 1GB is normally less than what you'd pay in overage fees. After a few months, compare your data usage and drop to a smaller plan if it makes sense.