FaceTime’s data usage is hefty, and it got us wondering if when you’re out and about using Wi-Fi hotspots, whether hotspot operators will kick you off if you’re FaceTiming, like, all the time. We asked around about fair usage policies from three of the UK’s largest Wi-Fi providers, and found that if you’re wanting to make free FaceTime calls risk-free, then The Cloud is heads above.
We asked BT Openzone, BTFON and The Cloud about fair usage policies on its Wi-Fi hotspots, and whether users overloading their services with FaceTime calls were at risk of extra charges, data caps, or being kicked off. Surprisingly, the answer was mixed.
If you’re looking to use your iPhone 4 over a Wi-Fi connection, it might be best to avoid BTFON, which only offers speeds up to 512Kbps, and could struggle if more than one person is using it for video chat at once. A spokesperson for BT said: “The BTFON proposition is intended as a complementary service that allows BT Total Broadband customers to stay connected out of the home, and to prevent abuse of the service we apply a Fair Usage Policy of 10,000 minutes per month.”
That works out to about five and a half hours a day, on a 30 day month, which, unless you work using a Wi-Fi hotspot, is unlikely to cause you much bother.
BT Openzone had a fair usage policy that limits usage to 3GB per month, about 12-13 hours a month, making it the worst option for iPhone 4 owners.
The Cloud on the other hand (which we found to be the best wi-fi hotspot provider last year), has no limits or fair usage on Wi-Fi hotspot use. A spokesperson said: “There’s no fair usage policy on The Cloud’s Wi-Fi for iPhone – unlimited means unlimited, so FaceTime shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”
That’s right, unlimited means unlimited, meaning you can settle down in one of The Cloud’s hotspots, channel your calls through FaceTime and not use up any of your minutes or data allowance.
So, if you’re one of the 22 per cent of Electricpig readers who has wholeheartedly taken up FaceTime, make sure you’re on The Cloud, and you can FaceTime your heart away.
