Fair Usage Policy

Fair Usage Policy or FUP is practiced by ISPs worldwide whereby it allows ISPs to restrict or throttle Internet Speeds on unlimited plans so as to prevent misuse or excessive use of bandwidth provided. FUP is implemented with the intent of protecting the ISPs ability to provide quality internet services to all of their customers and to ensure no customers are disadvantaged by the behavior of others. Providing unlimited Internet service increases the risk of few customers abusing the service and using most of the ISPs bandwidth which makes it difficult for ISPs to maintain quality for other customers who have moderate usage and are paying the equal amount of money. In order to prevent this ISP throttle or restrict speeds of customers who have excessive usage so as to maintain fair usage amongst all of its customers.

Vianet’s Fair Usage Policy is only applicable on their Home packages.

Vianet checks for excessive usage by monitoring client’s data usage in a monthly cycle. Data usage is calculated by adding both download and upload data used from the start of every English month.

There are three levels of speed throttling done depending on client’s usage within an English month. At crossing Level 1 Fair Usage Quota threshold the client’s speed will be throttled to 60%, at Level 2 speed will be throttled to 30% and at level 3 speed will be throttled to 10% or 5 Mbps whichever is lower. If a customer has crossed the FUP Quota threshold, their data usage counter will reset at the first of every English month and their Internet will return back to its original speed.

Vianet now has a feature where customers can purchase additional data to continue using their Internet in high speed despite having crossed their Fair Usage Quota threshold. This feature is known as “Ultraboost” feature where customers can purchase data for 100 Mbps Internet. Customers can then switch their package to Ultraboost Mode using Vianet’s Customer Portal or Mobile App and take advantage of the high speed. Click Here to learn more about Ultraboost.

Other than this customer can also consider upgrading their plan so as to get higher Fair Usage Quotas or subscribe to Vianet’s SOHO (Small office and Home) plans which have no Fair Usage Quota.