In this digital age, humans and their mobile phones are almost inseparable. When you walk down the streets, visit the mall, eat at a restaurant, or ride the subway, you will almost always see people with their smartphones in hand, keeping busy with whatever they have going on.
Whether they’re listening to music, reading the latest news updates, surfing the net, or scrolling through social media, you can bet that most of these people would have their eyes glued to their phones whenever they have moments to spare.
This is why the need for mobile data is high no matter where you go in the world. Everyone wants to stay digitally connected and to do that, they need to have access to the internet no matter what.
Unfortunately, Wi-Fi isn’t made free for global use and there are still many public areas that do not have it. So, when Wi-Fi isn’t available, everyone opts for the next best thing: mobile data.
What Is Mobile Data?
Mobile data refers to a consumable connectivity service most mobile internet providers offer to their users so that they can have access to the internet anytime, anywhere (read more). Instead of logging into a wireless network to gain access to the internet, you use your own device’s data allowance to connect.
Mobile data is purchased by the “byte” which is the unit of measurement used for digital data. Everything you do online – whether it be viewing photos, watching a video, publishing a post, or sending an email – has a data consumption equivalent.
For example, you tend to consume more data by watching videos than when you view photos. In the same way, you need more data to do video calls than sent text messages. Every action you make online will have corresponding data consumption. Thus, it’s important that your device is supplied with enough data to cover your daily internet needs.
Different internet service providers would have different mobile data offers and it’s important to choose which one best serves your personal needs. For instance, if the work you do requires you to be available online 24/7, then you would need a data package that can accommodate that demand. Or, if you just use the internet for leisure or social purposes, then you might not need as extensive of a data allowance.
When searching for the right provider, you need to make sure that you do a quick mobilabonnement test to find out what types of packages will best suit your lifestyle, as seen here: https://mobilabonnement.com/mobilabonnement-test/.
Here are some of the key factors you should be looking at when conducting a mobilabonnement test:
Mobile Data Allowance
Of course, one of the very first things you would want to look at when choosing the right mobile data package is the amount of allowable data, you’re able to use. As mentioned above, every activity you do on the internet has a data equivalent so the more you need to do online, the bigger of an allowance you need to fulfill all those activities. Most companies offer their packages with a set number of Gigabytes, and they would also have different tiers from the lowest to the highest number of Gigabytes.
To give you a better idea, here’s what 1GB of data can get you:
- An hour of Netflix streaming in Standard HD; or
- About 45 minutes of YouTube Videos in 1080 pixels; or
- About 10 hours of scrolling through social media; or
- A little over 16 hours of internet surfing (search engine searches); or
- About 92 hours of Spotify music in 24 kbps
Based on the data to time ratio of the above activities, determine how much or how little you need and make your package purchase accordingly. There are also internet services that sell unlimited data packages for a set period. If you’re someone who will likely consume more data on a day-to-day basis, this might be a better option for you.
Speed
Another key consideration is the internet speed that is offered with the data package you use. Different service providers will have different ranges and scope as we will further explain below and depending on their technology, this could mean faster or slower speeds in your area.
When choosing the right provider, make sure that you investigate online reviews or do some crowdsourcing to find out more information about which providers have better internet speeds in your area.
Better internet speeds will also help maximize your data allowance as you can stream, upload/download files, watch videos, and do other online activities more smoothly and without interruption. If you must reload a website or a video multiple times due to slow internet speeds, it might affect how fast you exhaust your data allowance.
Coverage
Apart from speed, you should also investigate coverage – how wide is this internet service provider’s reach? If they’re relatively new to the market, no matter how alluring their offers are, there’s still the question of whether they have enough cell towers in the area to provide a decent connection.
Also, even if they do work relatively well in your area, will it be the same in other areas? Say, you need to travel to a different city or a different country. Check how established their lines are in other areas and how wide their service scope is.
Tie-Up Offers
Next, when choosing the right data service, look for deals that go beyond just mobile data. Many companies offer tie-ups or service packages that combine different cell services into one – such as texting, calling, international communications, and landline calls on top of the data allowance that they will provide you with. Looking for sweet deals like this is a great way to keep under budget and get a bang for your buck.
Mobile Data Subscription Duration
You also need to consider the duration of the data package or subscription you sign up for. There are different offers out there, from those that you have to pay-per-use to those that you pay a fixed monthly fee for. Look for something that works for your financials and again, the lifestyle that you live.
If you find it troublesome to buy consumable data, you can always opt for monthly data subscriptions that renew automatically. Or, if you feel that you may not need mobile data half the time (i.e., only when you leave the house), then a consumable offer will work better for you.
Once you’ve ticked off everything on this list, you should arrive at far fewer options than you started with. From that point, you can just go with what feels like the best deal for you and try it out!
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