Christmas data usage 'could cause hefty penalties'

Monday, 12 December 2011 04:52

Britons keen to enjoy time with friends and family this Christmas have been urged to be careful how much data they download via their broadband connections.

Broadbandchoices.co.uk quoted figures from Ofcom, which show that the average household uses 17GB of data every month.

However, with more people at home over the festive season and likely to be streaming films to their laptops or watching clips on YouTube, this figure could be much higher over the coming weeks.

Product director Michael Phillips said: "Households risk smashing their download limits and incurring a hefty penalty fine. Part of the problem is that consumers often have no idea what their internet activity means in terms of their usage limit."

To avoid this, he recommended checking the small print of contracts and switching to a provider offering unlimited downloads if necessary, downloading at night and carefully tracking your usage.

Earlier this month, Homephonechoices.co.uk also urged Britons to shop around for the best price for line rental on their landlines.

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