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Mobile hotspot provider Karma restores high internet speed with a twist on its Neverstop plan, which will allow customers up to 5 Mbps for their standard $50 per month charge. It seems the company has changed their mind once again on what would be the best for their customers. And, of course, for themselves after a few errors.
Karma Neverstop was first announced last year with an enticing offer. The first subscription plan gave customers the opportunity to indulge in unlimited data for both download and upload speeds of 5 Mbps. The charge was a monthly $50 fee, and users were able to connect as many as three devices at the same time. It was obvious that many would be drawn to the offer. A little too intensely, apparently.
60% started using Karma Neverstop as their main internet source
According to Karma CEO, Steven Van Wel, they made a mistake. They did not foresee that customers would use up to 1,000 GB a month, a much higher usage than it was for their Karma Refuel model. In fact, 60% of all Karma Neverstop customers stated that the hotspot had replaced their in-home broadband connection. That was not Karma’s intention.
In response, the company decided to cap its speed. Neverstop’s potential was dropped from 5 Mbps to 1.5 to 2.5 Mbps, so that users may not abuse it. It’s enough to browse around the internet, check e-mail, but not enough for video streaming or online gaming. However, many customers protested against the change. Before urging them to return their mobile hotspot if they are displeased with the new plan, Karma made another modification.
5 Mbps for the first 15 GB
Users of Karma Neverstop will once again have the high 5 Mbps speeds, but only for the first 15 GB of data. After that, the capacity will drop to 2G speeds, meaning between 64 Kbps and 128 Kbps. It’s a compromise between the two options. The company stated that this will likely not affect many of their customers either way. And those who are still not satisfied with the service may return their Karma hotspots.
The previously high speeds will be there, only they will be throttled after 15 GB. Karma has also improved the compromise with another offer to customers by stating they will give $1 of credit for each GB they do not use from their monthly plan. The funds could be used for the subsequent month’s fee, and so on and so forth. Eventually, the company does hope to take the place of home internet services.
However, they have a long way to go until then.
Image source: pcmag.com
