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Throttling

Enfrance
Fledgling

I have been confined to my chair for a few weeks due to illness. Consequently I have been watching more YouTube videos than normal. For the last couple of weeks my internet connection has become erratic with short breaks which stop a video but start again after a moment to longer breaks of a few minutes  

My devices are up to date. Restarting the router only works for a short time. Data speeds are normal when I am connected. My VPN works well and the problem persists when the VPN is disconnected. 

is it possible that my connection is being throttled?

 

 

6 REPLIES 6
Avondale
Rising star

@Enfrance 

I assume you are on Three 5G Broadband ? If so, it is unlikely that you are being throttled. 

It is more likely to be congestion on the mast. Do you have problems at particular times of the day ? 

JonathanB
Community Moderator
Community Moderator

Hi @Enfrance,

We don't throttle connections, but there can be limits in the capacity of the network, and streaming can be more intensive than other types of data usage. Are we acknowledging we're aware of any issues in the area on the Network Status Checker?

Thanks,
Jonathan



Mod tip! The author of a post can hit 'Accept as Solution', to highlight a reply that helped solved their query.


Mattyk66
Active

Hi Jonathan, that is simply not true, three have started throttling download speeds, and multiple users have posted on the community site about this and stating they can not only hit 120mbps download when they used to hit much higher, these are different people in different parts of the country, being impacted exactly the same.  My response I posted was this -

Hi All, just to say I am in exactly the position. I live right next to the 5G mast in my area, literally 30meters away. When I first went with three 5G broadband in October 2022, up until November 2023, I was hitting anything from 600 to 900mbps download, all the time, even peak hours, I still have all the results recorded on my ookla speed test app/account.

In November, disney plus stopped loading on my TV stating I was out of region, nothing I did/changed could get it to load so contacted three, who advised they had made some changes to my account and restart my router and try again. Sure enough disney loaded, but from that point on my download speed is stuck at 120mbps, won't go any higher. It jumps to 400mbps when the speed test starts and then quickly drops down to 120mbps and stays there, clearly they are throttling and limiting the download speed. 

I contacted them on multiple occasions over the next few months and they were giving me all sorts of excuses and said they had changed settings and to try again, and another said they were working in the area but it would be back to normal in a month. I speed test every week and nothing has changed, stuck on 120. I have had a month refunded and a month half price but all this time they are still claiming they do not limit the download speeds which is obviously absolute rubbish.

As someone else has mentioned, when I do a speedtest on my phone, and I'm also with three, I still hit the usual 500mbps, nothing has changed with my phone, just my broadband from November onwards. 

At the time I googled and couldn't find any posts on this so thought it was just an issue in my area, but after a speed test earlier, stuck on my 120, I googled and found this. Now I know this is happening to others I am going to contact them again and keep up the fight!

For those that want to leave three, due to the speed decreases, who are stuck in contract, they agreed with me that I could leave with no charges due to the change in service. When you first sign up, you get 30days no quibble trial to see how it works and what speeds you get and you can send back if you not happy. So, if the speeds you are getting now, do not match the ones when you first got it, you can argue this and say you want to leave without a charge!

Direwind
Fledgling

I am having the same issue, when I joined three 5g broadband I was speed testing and download speeds were upwards of 70MBs , and my phone still hits these numbers, now however my download from Steam, streaming and other services of this sort are hard locked to 13MBs download speed; Here is the interesting part, i complained and had an engineer on the phone who stupidly told me I'm in a weak signal area, which is a total  lie as i'm next to the tower and never had issue with speed before, this guy does something to the router and suddenly I'm getting full speed again until tonight when the modem had to be restarded and now has gone back down to a hard locked 13MBs.

 

Three are lying to us all, they are limiting the service without telling us, I think we need to contact Ofcom about this as my contract states that it will not be throttled on an unlimited 5g broadband

Mattyk66
Active

I agree. I have speed test results going back over 2 years now, and you can see clearly see the exact time and day they changed my settings and throttled my connection to max out at 120mbps. It's absolutely crazy that they are claiming they are not throttling connections when since November I hit 120mbps all of the time, any day, any time of day. If my connection wasn't being throttled, my speed tests would not be identical and they would vary depending on the usage and load on the mast, but it doesn't ever change. 

I made three send me out a replacement router and I forgot to take the old sim card out when I handed the old router back to the DPD driver, schoolboy error! so I also had to get a new sim card. Brand new router, brand new sim card, just to check that it wasn't something to do with the router, and exactly the same, stuck at 120mbps. 

I am going to check my contract terms and conditions and I have all the evidence via speed tests to prove that they are throttling my connection so I'm with you here. I keep hounding them about this and I won't stop. As a plus point I have paid very little for my broadband since the issues as they keep refunding me and knocking money off my bills so I would recommend anyone who is having these same issues to do the same. Go straight through to the complaints chat online and bypass customer services!

Mattyk66
Active

Screenshot_20240218_235927_Speedtest.jpg

 I have pages of speed tests, but here you can see where they openly admitted changing my settings on the 14/11/23 to correct the issues I was having with disney plus stating I was out of region and from that moment on, I am stuck at 120mbps, it's there for all to see!