When choosing a SIM, it can be difficult to judge how much data you will need. There is no point in signing up for a contract that gives you more data than you’ll ever need as this is simply a waste of money. Then again, you don’t want to sign up for a contract that doesn’t give you enough. Not having enough data can be frustrating, especially if you rely on your phone for things like Google Maps or playing online mobile games.
Although many of us can connect to a Wi-Fi network at home, having enough data is important if you don’t spend much time in your house or use your phone whilst commuting to and from work. Over the years, mobile data usage has increased, but many of us aren’t aware of how much data we use or how much data we need.
By understanding your data usage, you can understand how much data is optimal. Below we look at the different data plans you can get, how much data 100GB would give you, and which data plan would be best suited to your needs.
What Are MB and GB?
Before we look at how much data you may need, it is important to understand how data is measured. The most standard units of measurement for data are MB and GB.
MB stands for megabytes and is made up of 1000 kilobytes (KB). Kilobytes are minute amounts of data.
GB stands for gigabytes and is made up of 1000 megabytes.
When looking at data plans, you can find very low data plans which offer around 1GB of data per month, all the way to unlimited data plans. It can be difficult to get your head around what 1GB or MB of data can get you, which is why we have gone into more detail below.
How Much Data Is 100GB?
100GB of data is a lot. It can be difficult to explain how much data is in 100GB, so it is best to break this down into actual usage. A monthly 100GB data plan will allow you to:
- Stream 20,000 songs- you would have to stream music for 24 hours straight and still wouldn’t reach your limit of 20,000 songs, assuming that each song on average is around 3 minutes long.
- Browse the internet for 1,200 hours (50 days)- which basically means you would need to browse 60,000 web pages.
- Watch 200 hours of SD (standard-definition) video; that’s 8.3 days of non-stop streaming!
- Watch 50 hours of HD (high definition) video.
- Video call for around 400 hours (16.6 days).
- Voice call via an internet app, such as Skype or FaceTime, for 3,000 hours (125 days).
- Listen to online radio for 1600 hours (66 days).
- Update or download around 2,500 apps.
You can also do a combination of all of these things.
This means, unless you are knocking back over 200 hours of videos a month, and listening to and downloading music non-stop, you aren’t likely to need more than 100GB of data. Plus, you can be clever with the amount of data you use when out and about. If you have Wi-Fi at home, you can download shows for on-the-go, meaning you don’t even have to eat into your data.
The price for 100GB of data will depend on which mobile provider you use, and what contract you want. With many of these plans, your minutes and texts are unlimited. For most people, a plan like this is sufficient in providing everything they need from their mobile phone.
Is 100GB a Lot of Data?
Yes, 100GB is a LOT of data. You may even find that you are reaching nowhere near your data limit, but if you get a good price on a 100GB data plan, it may be worth having. Some months you may use more data than others, so the best way to check how much data you need is by checking your monthly usage. Most mobile providers have their own platform where you can log in and check your monthly data usage.
You can then calculate an average, to see how much data would be suitable. You may prefer to have the extra data available, as there is nothing worse than having to be careful with your data and constantly checking whether you are using your mobile network or a Wi-Fi connection. This is especially the case if you have a holiday coming up, as many providers (including ourselves) offer free roaming in the EU with higher data plans.
Plus, wherever you are, you will instantly be able to carry out any task, rather than having to find the public Wi-Fi password. With some public networks, you need to make an account to sign in, which can be unnecessarily long. There are plenty of advantages to having more than enough data.
What Constitutes Low, Medium, or High Data Usage?
To truly make up your mind, we have decided to break down mobile users into three categories: low, medium, or high data users. By reading through these categories, you will be able to determine which data user you might be.
A low-data user will mainly use their mobile at home when they are connected to Wi-Fi. This means checking your phone occasionally while out and about, responding to messages, or an occasional scroll on social media. You may access your emails a couple of times a day or use web pages to find the best restaurants nearby or to book cinema tickets.
A low-data user doesn’t really play mobile games, or if they do, it’s a game that can be played with or without a mobile connection, like Sudoku. Low-data users do not download music to their phones through their data. To be classed as a lot-data user, you are unlikely to browse the internet or use your data for more than an hour every day. If this sounds like you, a low-data plan of around 2 to 5GB a month should be more than enough to keep you going.
Medium data users use their data for social media, email, and entertainment. This means you use an email app like Gmail and download emails directly to your phone throughout the day. You spend a lot of time browsing the internet or social media and download a couple of apps or games per month through your data plan. You may also watch YouTube now and again or download a couple of songs.
Medium data users typically require at least 10GB of data a month, if not more. This will depend on how often you watch videos, but it may be best to get more than you expect to use if you want to have peace of mind.
A high data user will rely on their mobile phone data every day, for work and entertainment purposes. You may send numerous emails each day, often with attachments. You stream and watch online videos and often download games, apps, and music to your mobile. A high-data user will also use streaming services like Spotify and Netflix often.
If you think this matches your daily phone habits, you should look at getting a monthly allowance of 20GB or more a month. When relying on your mobile for business purposes, it’s always best to get a data plan that will cover everything you could possibly need and more. If an important work call comes up and you don’t have the data required for a video call, you could find yourself in a pickle.
Is 100GB Data Enough for 1 Month?
For most people, 100GB of data will be enough for one month. If you are getting a ‘pay monthly’ plan, you can always see how you get on with 100GB of data, as you can easily upgrade or downgrade. You should check the terms and conditions of any other contracts, to see whether you can upgrade or downgrade your data.
Even if your mobile is glued to your hand throughout the day, it is hard to use more than 100GB of data a month, unless you rarely connect to a Wi-Fi network and use your mobile hotspot often. There are also plenty of ways to save your data, so you never have to worry about running out.
This includes downloading apps, games, music, or videos over a Wi-Fi connection whenever you can. With your entertainment already taken care of, you can also limit any buffering if you are in a poor mobile signal area. Plus, some apps initially use a high amount of data to download and may even ask if you want to proceed using your mobile data. Although most mobile networks offer a reliable connection to stream without much interference, Wi-Fi is often the fastest way to download large amounts of data at a time.
In Summary
When considering how much data is optimal, it’s a good idea to consider your budget and which type of data user you are. Low-data and medium-data users aren’t likely to need 100GB of data, but if you can get a great deal, then why not!
Those who use their mobile phones every day for tasks like sending emails with attachments, downloading music and videos, and having regular video calls, will likely benefit from having a large data plan, such as 100GB.