[186901] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: Binge On! - get your umbrellas out, stuff's hitting the fan.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Constantine A. Murenin)
Fri Jan 8 23:07:08 2016
X-Original-To: nanog@nanog.org
In-Reply-To: <11769.1452224600@turing-police.cc.vt.edu>
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 2016 20:07:06 -0800
From: "Constantine A. Murenin" <mureninc@gmail.com>
To: Valdis Kletnieks <Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu>
Cc: North American Network Operators' Group <nanog@nanog.org>
Errors-To: nanog-bounces@nanog.org
On 7 January 2016 at 19:43, Valdis Kletnieks <Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu> wrot=
e:
> So we went round and round back in November regarding Binge On! and wheth=
er
> it was net neutrality. So here's some closure to that...
>
> The EFF did some testing and discovered that what T-Mobile is actually do=
ing
> doesn't match what they said it was...
>
> https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/01/eff-confirms-t-mobiles-bingeon-opti=
mization-just-throttling-applies
>
> Apparently, John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile, doesn't know who the EFF is,
> or why they're giving him a hard time.
>
> "Part B of my answer is, who the fuck are you, anyway, EFF?" Legere said.=
"Why
> are you stirring up so much trouble, and who pays you?"
>
> http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/7/10733298/john-legere-binge-on-lie
>
> /me makes popcorn....
I don't know what people have been smoking, but I'd like to set the
record straight, once and for all.
T-Mobile US said that ALL video will be affected from day 0!
Here's my comment on
https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobile/comments/3sbbm5/netflix_hbo_gonow_sling_tv=
_showtime_hulu_espn_and/cwx16ya
2015-11-11: =C2=ABDidn't T-Mobile say that all videos will automatically go
at 480p from that point on? If so, what's really the point of an extra
step, you know, of the service explicitly "applying" to participate?=C2=BB
I've taken the time to find the source material that must have made me
make such a comment, and, I FOUND IT!
https://newsroom.t-mobile.com/media-kits/un-carrier-x.htm
> Los Angeles, California =E2=80=94 November 10, 2015
...
> Powered by new technology built in to T-Mobile=E2=80=99s network, Binge O=
n optimizes video for mobile screens, minimizing data consumption while sti=
ll delivering DVD or better quality (e.g. 480p or better). That means more =
reliable streaming for services that stream free with Binge On, and for alm=
ost all other video, it means T-Mobile Simple Choice customers can watch up=
to three times more video from their data plan. And, as always, T-Mobile h=
as put customers in total control with a switch to activate or deactivate B=
inge On for each line in their My T-Mobile account. Binge On is all about =
customer choice.
Here it is again, the relevant bits:
> for almost all other video, it means T-Mobile Simple Choice customers can=
watch up to three times more video from their data plan
Those words have certainly been there since at least 2015-11-11!
HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT!
Just like the rest of the increases in ARPU and other metrics.
Unlimited 4G didn't just have the tethering bucket increased from 7GB
to 14GB, but the price went from 80$ to 95$, too. (And that doesn't
include the earlier increase from 70$ to 80$, either.)
Oh, and, to answer EFF's question on why it's enabled by default:
https://youtu.be/MHFUT1_QlB8?t=3D47s
>>>> Since it's launched in November, we've learned customers were watching=
12% more video.
It is not explicit that "12%" refers to a minute-based metric, but
that's most certainly what was meant.
Now, compare this with the 66,6% savings by throttling all video to
1.5Mbps, so that "customers can watch up to three times more video",
and the net effects of unlimited binge on become quite clear (and
quite counter-intuitive to a naive guess on the matter).
That said, I have to say I'm disappointed with him going against his
own consumers this time around. The only truth from his
https://youtu.be/MHFUT1_QlB8 video is that, indeed, if the Dumb and
Dumber would have implemented this functionality first, the carriers
indeed would have found a way to charge extra for it!
Cheers,
Constantine.SU.
