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Virgin Mobile is notifying all of its current BroadBand2Go customers by email of changes that will go into effect in early 2013.

Along with new payment options and the loss of their loyalty renewal plan, which typically gets the customer a 10% credit, the major changes seem to be in throttling of those using 4G unlimited data along with real-time data usage reporting and email notices when a user is approaching their throttling threshold.

I am on the $40 BroadBand2Go Unlimited 3G Data, which is no longer available, and have honestly never noticed the reduction in the past.  What is nice about this plan is that as long as I pay for one month of data every 12 months I get to retain that plan.  It comes in very handy when I am on the road and Internet access in a hotel or other location is spotty.

Here are the parts of the new terms relating to bandwidth throttling and data usage reporting:

Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go customers:
  • Speed Reduction for Unlimited 4G Plans & Tracking Your Usage
    • Speed Reduction for Unlimited 4G Plans:
      • Once the system is updated, we will begin throughput speed reduction for the Unlimited 4G plans. To ensure all customers have reliable access to data services, we will begin implementation of throughput speed reduction, once the established threshold is reached. This will apply only to plans that include Unlimited 4G data. Speed reduction for Unlimited 3G plans will continue.
      • To help ensure you’re aware of your throughput limiting status, we’ll send you an email message when 85% of the data threshold has been used, and again when you’ve reached 100% of your data threshold and speeds will be reduced.
    • Data Usage Reporting:
      • There will no longer be a delay in data usage reporting, so the usage information displayed on the My Account page will be near real-time. If you are on an unlimited plan and subject to throughput limiting, your speeds will be reduced immediately upon reaching your data threshold – even if it’s during your current session.

As you can see by the last entry, the updated data tracking will allow Virgin Mobile to immediately throttle your data throughput the instant you hit your unlimited bandwidth level.

On the 4G Unlimited Data plan that is 10GB and on the 3G Unlimited Data plan that is 200MB to 5GB depending on your subscription level. On the $40 per month Unlimited Data plan, which as I said earlier is no longer available, that throttle point is 2.5GB.

I guess it is still unlimited data no matter how fast you can get it.