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Usage Based Billing FAQ

What is internet usage?

Internet Usage is the amount of digital content transferred to and from your modem from within all of your devices connected to the internet within your home while you’re online. It is generally measured in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB) and includes both information going up to the internet (uploading) and coming down from the internet (downloading). Different online activities consume different amounts of usage. Examples of high usage activities include downloading movies and streaming videos. Internet Usage also takes into account all devices connected to your Eastlink internet service including desktops, notebooks, smart phones, tablet computers, iPods and gaming consoles.

 

Help me understand how much usage I would normally use 

This depends on what you do on the internet and the size of the files you are downloading or uploading. 250 GB would equate to approximately, 65,000 songs per month, 300 standard definition movies per month or 80 high definition movies per month.

 

What is the difference between download and upload?

Downloading is the act of receiving data from the Internet to your computer. Examples of downloading include, receiving email, surfing a website, streaming videos, or downloading files through file-sharing or P2P applications.

Uploading is the act of sending data from your computer to the Internet. Examples of uploading include, sending or replying to email, clicking links on a website, or posting files, such as images & videos, to a website.

Typically, customers download far more than they upload.

 

Do Eastlink High-Speed Wireless, 5 Mbps & Internet 20 users also have monthly usage allowances?

No, these services have unlimited free usage.

 

What are the monthly usage allowances for my Eastlink High Speed Internet service?

All our services with the exception of our 40 Mbps, 80 Mbps, 100 Mbps and 200 Mbps products have unlimited usage. Our Eastlink High Speed Internet service offers a generous monthly usage allowance (combined download and upload).

40 Mbps – 250 GB
80 Mbps – 250 GB
100 Mbps – 250 GB
200 Mbps – 250 GB

 

Will I be charged if I go beyond my monthly usage allowance?

We are committed to ensuring there are no initial surprises, so the first month you go over the usage allowance, you will be contacted by our customer service department by phone.  In subsequent months, if you exceed your monthly usage allowance, you will be charged as follows: Eastlink Internet 40 Mbps & 100 Mbps – $1.00/GB. Rating will be rounded down to the nearest 10 cents. For example, if you are 10.53 GB over, you will be charged $10.50.

 

How can I track my usage?

Those customers who have one of our unlimited usage products do not have to be concerned about tracking usage.   For those on one of our services that do charge for usage, you can review your usage at any time.

We update the usage tool on a daily basis in order to provide the most up-to-date statistics. You can review your usage at any time. We recommend monitoring your usage regularly at www.Eastlink.ca/myusage, which compares your usage to the usage allowance in gigabytes.

 

When will I be billed for additional usage?

Depending on your billing date, you will be billed for additional usage either one or two months after you use it. Additional usage will appear on your bill as “Internet Usage”.

 

What is my “usage period”?

Your usage period is the calendar month prior to your latest monthly statement. For example, if your monthly Eastlink monthly statement date is May 10th, 17th or 24th your May statement will include usage for the month of April (April 1st – 30th). If you are an Internet 40 or 100 Mbps customer, your usage would be reset to zero on May 1st, and you’d have another 250 GB of usage for the next usage period of May 1st to May 31st. If your statement date is May 3rd, your usage period would be March 1st – March 31st.

 

How will additional usage charges appear on my monthly statement?

Additional usage will appear as “Internet Usage” under the Internet Services section of your monthly statement.

Front

 

Back

 

Can I carry over my usage from this month to the next?

No. Unused internet usage cannot be carried over. Your usage allowance applies to each month and is reset at the start of each calendar month.

 

Can I purchase more usage to increase my monthly usage allowance?

There is no need to purchase additional usage up front as we only bill for the usage once it has occurred. Additional usage will be billed at a rate of $1 per-gigabyte on your next bill.

 

Why am I not being charged for additional usage on my monthly statement, when the usage tool on Eastlink.ca is telling me I exceeded my allowance?

Your monthly statement includes any usage charges (download and upload) from your previous month of service.  The tool gives you a “real time” today view of your usage. If you have exceeded the usage allowance in a month, it does not get billed until the following month.   The usage tool allows you to get a good understanding of your online activity and the impact on your next month’s statement. The usage tool also lets you see your usage for the past 12 months.

 

Why does the Usage Tracker show internet GB overages in previous months but I was not charged?

To give you good visibility to your recent usage, the usage tracker only shows data back to December 2010. We will implement usage based billing on June 1st and you will not be charged for any overage you incurred prior to this date.

 

I am an Internet 20 subscriber, why can’t I access my usage online?

You have unlimited usage so there is no need for you to track your usage.

 

How does the Eastlink usage based billing plan compare with other internet service providers?

Eastlink’s decision to not apply usage based billing (UBB) to Internet offerings up and including Internet 20 has been very positively received by our customers and is unlike most of our competitors who apply UBB to their basic and core offerings. Eastlink’s usage limits for Internet 40 & 100 is among the highest in Canada and is very generous compared to other internet service providers, many of which have lower limits and higher overage charges. 

 

 

Contact Us for more questions or technical support