Is there a data cap for the hotspot I checked out?
No. Our service provider, Mobile Beacon, offers unlimited data plans that are subject to T-Mobile’s network management policies for the unlimited plan it offers its retail customers. While there is no preset data cap or automatic reduction in throughput when a user consumes a certain amount of data, the Fair Use Threshold (FUT) for these plans is 100 GB per month. After this threshold is reached, users will be deprioritized during times and places where the T-Mobile network is experiencing congestion.
The practice of deprioritizing certain users after the FUT is reached during periods of network congestion is a network management practice called Quality of Service (QoS), which all network operators utilize, including T-Mobile. If a user is deprioritized, they may experience a temporary slowdown for a few seconds, a few minutes, a few hours, or not at all. This deprioritization will cease as soon as network resources are freed up (which is re-evaluated every nanosecond). This is very different from throttling where users are subject to dramatically reduced speeds (e.g. 128 Kbps) for the remainder of their billing cycle. See further explanation below:
How does the Quality of Service (QoS) differ from throttling?
Quality of Service (QoS) is different from throttling in several ways. First, it is not automatically triggered by reaching a certain data level. With throttling, speeds will automatically be dramatically reduced to 128-256 Kbps as soon as a certain data allotment is reached, regardless of network capacity. QoS is the act of prioritization of network data where reduced speeds only occur during periods of network congestion.
If a Mobile Beacon customer reaches their Fair Use Threshold (currently 100 GB/month), it is only after that point that they would experience any deprioritization only at times in and in areas where the T-Mobile network is constrained. If this occurs, customers may experience a temporary slowdown for a few seconds, a few minutes, a few hours, or not at all. This slowdown will cease as soon as network resources are freed up (which is re-evaluated every nanosecond).
QoS is a network management technique that is used by all telecommunication operators, including T-Mobile.
