Neotel recently launched its 2 Mbps uncapped WiMax service, competing directly against uncapped ADSL services aimed at the business market. This service however carries a 35 GB fair usage policy, something which consumers criticized as a ‘contradiction in terms’.<\/p>\n
We caught up with Neotel’s Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Angus Hay, to clarify the policy. “What we have applied is a fair use policy, and this kind of policy is not unheard of in other broadband markets. It is not the same as an absolute cap,” said Hay.<\/p>\n
“It is simply a mechanism to enable us to take action if there is a problem with very high usage. In our policy, it’s not an automatic cap. It’s not about picking on users,” said Hay.<\/p>\n
“We consider 35GB to be a fairly high figure, compared to other products in the market. It should be in a range above average usage.” The 35GB limit “is certainly not a hard cap. It is just an option we have from a contractual point of view, to apply some sort of mechanism if we have to,” said Hay.<\/p>\n
“It will only be applicable if there is a situation where network capacity is affected by a number of users. We are typically not applying anything at the moment. We would only really apply it where we have an issue with congestion, and particular users which are contributing to that congestion,” Hays concluded.<\/p>\n