Verizon Wireless plans to use its Network Optimization policy later this year in order to manage its heaviest users.
The change in policy applies only to subscribers with an unlimited LTE monthly data plan, who were previously grandfathered in and essentially unrestricted in their use of mobile data. According to Verizon this change only applies to the top 5% of users, who typically consume more than 4.7GB of data per month.
Rather than use straight throttling, Verizon will prioritize the traffic of subscribers who pay for tiered data plans (2GB per month, 4GB per month, etc.) The prioritization scheme will be put to work in high-traffic areas when cell sites become congested.
The change goes into effect October 1. Verizon has applied similar network management techniques to its 3G customers since 2011.
