In a notice on its website Canadian full-service telecoms operator Telus discloses that from 30 March 2015 it will automatically charge residential fixed internet customers who exceed their monthly internet data allowance. From that date, a standard additional 50GB data ‘bucket’ will be automatically billed to the user if exceeding their threshold, with the first bucket costing CAD5 (USD3.99) and each subsequent bucket charged at CAD10, up to a maximum monthly cost of CAD75. Canadian press noted that the charging model is similar to that currently levied by AT&T in the US, where customers must pay an automatic USD10 for each additional 50GB of data, although AT&T waives this charge for the first two instances that the user exceeds their monthly plan limit. Telus states: ‘Most Telus customers are already on an Internet plan that meets their current needs. Only those that exceed their plan – the heaviest Internet users – will incur an additional charge. If you are one of those customers, you will be notified before being charged.’

The telco explained further: ‘More than four out of five customers stay within their monthly data allowance. However, a small number of customers regularly exceed their monthly data allowance, and while Telus’ Internet plans have always had thresholds, historical consumer data usage patterns have not required us to apply any fees for those customers who exceed their allowance. As high speed networks have evolved, however, the consumption of video over the Internet has dramatically increased. As a result, in the last 16 months alone our customers’ monthly Internet data usage has more than doubled. Further, much of this consumption is being driven by a minority of our customers – in fact, less than 5% of our Internet customers are consuming 25% of the data on our network in any given month. This has required us to reconsider our approach to ensure we continue offering a smooth and seamless Internet experience for all customers. Accordingly, Telus will begin applying clear and simple usage-based Internet charges for customers who go over the data allowance in their home Internet data plans.’

Thanks to TeleGeography for the article.