Why we don't dare to stream videos while traveling
30% of adults do not watch video via mobile data while traveling because they are frightened of using up their data bundle too quickly. This is the conclusion of a survey carried out among more than a thousand Flemish parents and young people by the Indiville research agency on behalf of Telenet[1]. The striking thing, however, is that a quarter of the adults and 23% of the young people estimate their data consumption incorrectly. At the end of the month, they have still about half of their bundle left on average. “Many people don’t know what is possible with their data bundle, and they therefore put a brake on surfing the web”, says Kristof Van Nuffel, responsible for mobile products at Telenet.
More than 50% are not aware of what they can do with their data bundle
The survey shows that many Flemish families often put a brake on surfing the web because they are not sure which applications use up a lot of data, and which only a little. No less than half the families (53% adults; 51% youngsters) are thereby not aware what is possible with 1 gigabyte: how long they can access Instagram, how long they can stream music or videos, etc. One in five (21%) of the adults are worried that the data they have available will not be sufficient for the month. Among youngsters, this is as high as 45%.
30% of adults therefore don't watch videos while traveling. 61% of parents even prohibit their children from watching videos via mobile data. Many families therefore switch to WiFi as soon as possible in order to restrict data consumption. 61% of the adults say they do this, and 88% of the teenagers.
Putting the brake on
“It is not the intention, of course, that customers restrict themselves, and we want everyone to be able to use their mobile bundle fully and without worries. This is also possible without having to opt for an unlimited product. We focus on this in various ways: with WIGO, it’s simply not possible to exceed your bundle, and all family members can surf without any worries. We also added Free G to several products, whereby the use of certain apps, including Yelo TV, is not counted in your data pot. This allows you to watch TV without any worries while traveling, and you can retain your data for other uses. In addition, via My Telenet and the Telenet Mobile App, we provide various settings that customers can personalize and with which they can monitor their own consumption and that of their family members, and restrict this if desired. Just before the holidays is certainly a good time to have a close look at these settings again.” Kristof Vanhuffel, responsible for mobile products at Telenet.
63% have activated an alert
The survey indicates that 18% of the parents check at least once a week how much mobile data was used by their children. Just over half (52%) say they never do this. About half of the young people (47%) indicate that they keep an eye on their mobile data use themselves. 63% of the adults say that they have set up an alert for themselves in order to monitor their use. 20% also do this for their partner and 9% for the children. 5% of those questioned indicate they are not aware that such an alert exists.
“Certain alerts and blocks are set to ‘on’ as standard, but customers can themselves manage a lot of additional settings. For our mobile products King and Kong, for example, limits can be set to disable any use in excess of the bundle, or you can decide for yourself how high this additional amount may be. You can also receive reminders via e-mail or on a 2nd mobile number regarding the subscriptions of your family members. In this way, you can easily remain up-to-date about the consumption of your children.”
What uses up a lot of data and what doesn’t?
The possibilities of 1 gigabyte depend on the device, whether surfing takes place with 3 or 4G, and the quality of the photos or videos the customer is looking at. Low-resolution images always use less than the highest possible quality. Here are some examples that will give you a better picture of what uses a lot and what doesn't:
- Surfing 44 hours on the Internet
- Sending 34,000 mails
- Sharing 1,000 photos on Instagram
- Streaming 23 hours of music or podcasts
- Using Google Maps for 17 hours
- Watching 6 hours of Youtube, or 90 4-minute videos
- Streaming Netflix for 4 hours
Tips for the carefree use of your mobile phone at home and abroad
All the settings below can be managed in My Telenet or via the Telenet Mobile app.
Set up alerts
In order to stay up-to-date on your consumption, you will receive consumption messages. As standard, you will receive a cost-free text when your bundle is almost used up, and another one when it has effectively been used up. You will receive a separate reminder for call minutes, texts and mobile data.
You can also receive reminders via e-mail or on a 2nd mobile number regarding the subscriptions of your family members. In this way, you can easily remain up-to-date about the consumption of your children.
Set a limit
In addition to alerts, you can also set a limit for the mobile Telenet products (King, Kong and Price according to Use). If you set a limit, your use will be blocked as soon as your bundle has been used up, or if you have used an additional € 5, 10, 20 or 50. You will receive a text from 8644 as soon as the blocking starts.
With WIGO, you cannot exceed your bundle in any case.
Set up blocks
Block certain incoming or outgoing calls, (premium) texts, MMS and/or data traffic. You can avoid unexpectedly high charges in this way.
Be sure to carefully read all the information about rates when abroad.
You will always receive a text with the valid rates when your device makes a connection to a network abroad. Read them carefully to avoid surprises!
Data roaming abroad is automatically blocked at € 60.50 out-of-bundle. You will then receive a text with this message. Be careful, costs can quickly rocket if you cancel this block and decide to carry on surfing anyway.
If you want to avoid certain apps connecting to a mobile network abroad and using data without your knowledge, then be sure to switch off surfing via mobile networks before you board the airplane.
Consider buying a local SIM card
Within the European Union, you can simply use your bundle as if you were in Belgium. All the reminders and limits you set will also work there. If you are on vacation outside the European Union, surfing, texting and calling will always be charged in addition to your bundle. The costs can then quickly become very high. Do you still want to surf via 3/4G, or do you intend to call and text quite a lot? In this case, consider buying a local SIM card.
Contact:
Ann Van Mullem
ann@bepublic.be
+32 476 27 84 06