The mobile networks used to offer unlimited data tariffs for SmartPhone users. However this did have the effect of encouraging people to use more and more data and as the number of people buying data enabled phones increased, the networks started to struggle with capacity.
In response to this data plans are now generally capped, with 500MB or 1GB being the norm. This also allows the networks to charge extra for excessive usage.
Many users are now used to consuming large amounts of data but are having to cut back under the terms of their new contracts as they come to the end of their contracts or upgrade. Is there an easy way to reduce your mobile phone data?
An application for the iPhone (3GS and 4) called Onavo can compress data usage from all other apps. It can double or even treble your data allowance. The app is free of charge and will shortly be coming to Android handsets too.
Where this app is particularly useful is when roaming. The cost of roaming data is still so high that being able to effectively halve your usage is going to save you money. It could be the difference between staying within your roaming allowance and exceeding it and incurring lots of nasty charges.
At the moment it works with standard data but not streaming or VoIP applications. It provides a detailed monthly data usage report so you can see where your allowance is being used and change your behaviour as necessary in order to avoid excessive data charges.
Most modern SmartPhones will be set up as standard to optimise data usage. Downloading only email headers, not the full emails, and ignoring large attachments will keep your data usage down. If you override these settings make sure you change them back before you go overseas.
Double check your app settings to see how often they update - they could be attempting to collect data every few minutes. Multiply this by a number of apps and you are connecting frequently without knowing just by having them run in the background.
Also look for wi-fi points whenever available. You can usually switch network data off and rely upon wi-fi only. As more wi-fi points come online it becomes easier to get around without the need for your mobile network and still keep connected.
If you absolutely have to use network data, particularly when overseas, make sure your contract is updated to reflect this. Whilst many roaming data bundles do not represent great value, they are still better than standard rates and if you minimise your data usage by changing your settings as above you can still stay in touch without breaking the bank.