We live in 2022. Mobile Internet is indispensable and, thanks to 5G, sometimes faster than from the home socket. How can it be that I still don’t reach my limits with 1 GB of data volume per month? I’ll tell you in the current issue of the GIGA weekend column.
Can you never have enough mobile data volume? Maybe, it depends on usage. For example, I still get by with a modest 1 GB today. My older contract runs and runs. Actually, I could get a lot more on the free market for my monthly fee of just under 7 euros – currently, for example, even 16 GB of data for only 10 euros, just 3 euros more per month (see tariff at sim.de).
Smartphone saving trick: How do I get by with 1 GB of data volume
However, I am also quite a creature of habit. Cancel, request number portability. Anything goes if you want. But does this work without problems? And why actually? I still get along fine with 1 GB even today, this is still in the o2 network and only very rarely or never break the bar. So how do I manage to cope with such a frugal contract even today? My attempt at explanation:
- I’ve always been quite frugal when it comes to mobility. With a data volume of only one gigabyte, gimmicks such as YouTube films or extensive music streaming are out of the question. So I don’t do them and I don’t miss them either. For longer trips, films are simply downloaded beforehand, as is the music. Saves a lot of data traffic.
- When I’m on the road, I limit internet use to what is absolutely necessary. I mostly use the iPhone to quickly look up an address and for navigation – car and bike. Social networks don’t play a big role for me, everything distracts. I have WhatsApp, but I can only be reached on my mobile when I really want and need it. True luxury nowadays is not being accessible and I treat myself to the comfort.
- There is free WiFi in many places these days – on the train, at the station, in a café or sometimes even on cruises, as I recently found out. It’s not always the fastest connection, but it’s enough to effectively save data volume on the go.
- I keep a prepaid SIM ready for emergencies, with which I can flexibly access additional data volume relatively inexpensively. I last used it last year. So I usually don’t have to resort to it.
Spoiler alert – in my case, this is worth it. But otherwise? Our considerations:
How much mobile data traffic is really necessary?
So you see, if you want to, you can still get by with a small data volume in the contract these days. Of course, no one has to take my old and frugal sack as a role model. Nevertheless, my example might be a good reason to think about how much data is really necessary on the road and how much of it is just junk data.
My thoughts for the weekend: The column aims to provide food for thought and reflect on the week’s “news flood” towards the end. A small selection of previous articles in the column:
In terms of sustainability and environmental protection, it is not that unimportant, because every megabyte and gigabyte saved actually reduces carbon dioxide emissions. The data doesn’t just come out of a can or fly around in the air, it’s actually distributed on power-hungry servers around the world. On the other hand, as a consequence, I would probably have to do without my ship vacations. Regardless, nobody is perfect.