Has your broadband speed suddenly slowed down? Or are you wondering the reason behind the slow internet speed? You might be facing an issue with FUP in broadband. Don’t worry. We’re here to help.
One of the common reasons for the slow internet speed is the imposition of the Fair Use Policy (FUP). It is automatically activated when you exceed the data limit of your selected broadband plan, resulting in a slow broadband speed.
Let us help you understand, what is FUP in broadband and how it impacts the speed in detail below:
What Is Fair Use Policy (FUP)
Many broadband providers impose a data limit called a Fair Use Policy or FUP. For instance, if you’ve subscribed to a 4 Mbps broadband plan for a month and crossed that limit, the broadband provider will automatically reduce your internet speed for the next month.
So, it is important to check the data cap when you buy a broadband plan.
Usually, many broadband plans mention when the package is unlimited. In some cases, when the plan is not unlimited, they will list down a precise number that states how much data can be accessed per month.
Now that you know what FUP on the internet is, let’s proceed further to understand why broadband providers impose it on your tariff. So, come, let’s take a look below:
Why do Broadband Providers Impose FUP?
Many of you might share the same data capacity on a broadband provider’s line. This is termed a ‘contention ratio’, which typically ranges between one to 50 per side.
So, if one of you sharing the same line tries to download a huge file, the other user will struggle with the broadband speed.
To avoid such a scenario, broadband providers impose FUP. It helps them to restrict internet consumption during peak hours. This, in turn, helps in always providing you with the highest internet quality. For instance, if your broadband connection comes with 24 Mbps and unlimited downloads, there are good chances that your bandwidth will be restricted during peak hours.
However, FUP does not impact every user. So then, whom does it affect? Well, let’s find out the answer in detail below:
- The FUP will not impact you if you’re not using peer-to-peer or file-sharing applications. But, in case you are, see to it that the uploading and downloading of huge files is outside of peak hours.
- If the FUP impacts you, the broadband provider will notify you when your internet usage affects other users during peak hours.
- If your internet use continues to be excessive, the provider will send an email to request you reduce uploading and downloading files during peak hours. But if the problem persists, they will be compelled to restrict your access throughout the peak hours.
Despite this, if you still violate the terms and conditions of the FUP policy, it will result in the following:
Speed Limitation
The broadband provider can slow down your link. And hey, guess what? This can last for an entire month!
Service Termination
Plan Change
Many providers often ask you to switch to another plan that matches your internet consumption.
Now that you know how everything works, let us introduce you to our FUP policies. We’ve detailed our FUP policy for you below.
Airtel FUP in Broadband Policy
We’ve established a data transfer quota, which varies depending on the contract. For instance, when you cross the given quota, your speed will be reduced according to our schedule.
Besides this, we don’t impose any other data transfer limit. Downloads have always been unlimited. So, you can download as much as you want, whenever you want.