document for more information.In a review of our High Speed Internet (High Speed Internet) service, we determined that a very small group of customers have been using a considerable amount of the bandwidth or "space" on our high-speed network. Some activities such as excessive file sharing, online gaming, and downloading rich media files, are starting to congest the network and degrade the High Speed Internet service for all customers.
In order for all High Speed Internet customers to continue enjoying high speeds and fair access at an affordable price, we have decided to introduce a monthly usage cap of 10,000MB for all residential High Speed Internet customers, and 20,000MB for all business High Speed Internet customers.
The vast majority of High Speed Internet customers do not come close to exceeding these usage caps and will not likely incur additional charges. We believe you will notice the benefits of this change as the overall service improves-in fact, many customers are expected to notice an overall improvement in speeds.
Internet usage is a phrase to describe the amount of data your computer sends and receives from the Internet. Most people use the Internet for email, web surfing and chatting. These activities require little usage. For example, when you view a web page, your web browser downloads the page and displays it. You aren't downloading anything until you move to the next page, so your Internet connection is generally idle when you are surfing. Reading your email is a similar scenario, as you're not really using the Internet after you've downloaded your email. Instant messaging programs (chatting) are also low yield activities, requiring a very small amount of usage-or bandwidth.
Other activities such as file sharing, online gaming, and downloading rich media files all require higher bandwidth because your computer is frequently sending and transmitting data for sustained amounts of time. These types of activities are legitimate uses of the Internet and there is nothing wrong with them; however, engaging in such activities for prolonged lengths of time will increase your Internet usage. Please refer to our Tips to reduce Internet usage document for more information.
Effective March 1, 2005, we are introducing a monthly usage cap of 10,000MB (Megabytes) for residential High Speed Internet customers, and 20,000MB for business High Speed Internet customers. Additional charges will apply for usage that surpasses these thresholds on a monthly basis. The chart below indicates the rates that will apply for each Megabyte (MB) of usage above the newly established caps. The total charge is in addition to the monthly charge for High Speed Internet service, but will only apply for those customers who surpass the usage cap. Any additional charges (should they apply) would appear on your monthly phone bill, with the first possible charges appearing on the April bill.
| Type of High Speed Service | Free Usage (in Megabytes) |
Charge per Additional Megabyte of Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | ||
| High Speed Lite | 2,000 MB | $0.01 |
| High Speed Classic | 10,000 MB | $0.01 |
| High Speed Ultra | 20,000 MB | $0.01 |
| High Speed Iqaluit | 10,000 MB | $0.02 |
| Business | ||
| High Speed 1.5 | 20,000 MB | $0.01 |
| High Speed 2.0 | 20,000 MB | $0.01 |
| High Speed 4.0 | 30,000 MB | $0.01 |
| High Speed Iqaluit | 20,000 MB | $0.02 |
| High Speed PLUS Iqaluit | 10,000 MB | $0.02 |
The new usage cap will be effective March 1, 2005.
10,000MB is equivalent to approximately 2,800 mp3 song files, or 20,000 jpg mid-quality digital photo files, or 2,048,000 text-only e-mails.
Please refer to our High Speed Internet Terms of Service document for detailed information regarding Northwestel's policies.
It's important that you're aware of some online activities that can considerably affect your Internet usage. We've outlined a number of suggestions on how to reduce Internet usage in our Tips to reduce Internet usage document.
The new usage cap applies to each individual High Speed Internet service, not per account.
No, you will not be contacted if you surpass your usage cap. As the account holder, you are responsible for monitoring your personal Internet usage and paying any additional charges incurred for surpassing the cap. Our online High Speed Internet Usage tool will assist you in monitoring your Internet usage by providing you current usage information.
No, "unused" Internet usage is not carried forward each month. The usage cap amount applies for each calendar month and renews on the first day of each month.
Your Internet usage is updated daily, according to the date and time specified under the Current Usage section.
Additional charges incurred during a calendar month will appear on the following month's statement. For example, if you surpassed the usage cap in the month of February, you will be billed additional usage charges on your March statement.
You can call 1-888-423-2333 to make additional inquiries or to make payment arrangements.
We are currently only able to display usage from November 2004 onward. In the future, you will be able to view up to five months of history at a time.
No, not at this time. We are currently working on some enhancements, which will allow you to change your password in the future.
Please call 1-888-423-2333 to retrieve your four-digit PIN.
If you forget your four-digit PIN, you will need to call 1-888-423-2333 to retrieve it. A Northwestel representative will then ask you a few questions to verify your identity. Be prepared to provide your Northwestel account number and account password.
No, you will only require one PIN per account. When you log in, you'll be able to view the usage details for each separate High Speed Internet service on that account.
No, we currently have no way of linking accounts. Each account number will require a separate PIN. When you log in, you'll be able to view the usage for each separate High Speed Internet service on that account.
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