T-Mobile now throttling mobile hotspots when network is congested

T-Mobile USA has begun throttling mobile hotspot data when its network is congested while giving priority to smartphones and other devices that connect directly to the cellular network. T-Mobile has been notifying customers of the change with a message that says, "We just made your network better again" and that "T-Mobile device data comes first." "We've primed the network for on-device use," the carrier says on its website. "So now when there's congestion, you may notice higher speeds for data on your T-Mobile devices versus Smartphone Mobile Hotspot (tethering)."

Prioritization of on-device data is triggered "at times and at locations where there are competing customer demands for network resources, which may result in slower tethering speeds," T-Mobile also says. That means your smartphone should still be fast, but devices like laptops that connect to the phone's mobile hotspot will get slower Internet access. T-Mobile is making this change as it tries to shift customers from data buckets to plans that are nominally "unlimited" but in reality have several limits. The recently unveiled T-Mobile One plan has no monthly data cap or overage fees, but it throttles video to 1.5Mbps (enough for about 480p resolution) and throttles other data usage when customers who have used more than 26GB in a month connect to congested cell towers.