Internet usage definition 

Internet usage refers to the amount of data flowing through your computer when you use the Internet for downloading/uploading Web pages, transferring FTP files or using exchange networks, newsgroups, chat services, e-mail, etc.

The data flow is generally measured in kilobytes (abbreviated KB in English and Ko in French). Below is a summary table of the various computer data units:

Name Symbol Power Number of bytes One kilobyte KB 2 10 1,024 bytes One megabyte MB 2 20 1,048,576 bytes One gigabyte GB 2 30 1,073,741,824 bytes One terabyte TB 2 40 1,099,511,627,776 bytes

For example, the Web page you are reading contains 8 KB of data. So with your monthly limit of 20 GB you could download this page 2,684,354 times!

Difference between download and upload

The terms download and upload refer to the direction the data travels between your computer and the Internet network. For example, when loading a web page, your computer accesses the data on a server and brings it back. This is called downloading.
When you send files to friends or relatives, the content travels from your computer to theirs. This is called uploading.

Vidéotron policy

To ensure fair access to all users and avoid excesses, Vidéotron imposes monthly Internet usage limits. These usage limits vary depending on the customer’s Internet package.

20 GB correspondence

A high-speed Internet subscriber can download / upload 20 GB of data monthly. This translates to:

• 1,431,655 15-KB web pages
• 41,943 500-KB .jpg photos
• 4,096 5-MB .mp3 files
• 2,275 standard 9-MB movie trailers
  

Excessive usage

Only 5% of our customers exceed their monthly usage limit. It all depends on your use of the Internet. The restrictions were put in place only to discourage overuse, which clogs up the network and penalizes all users.

If you are concerned that you may exceed your usage limit, you can request speed on demand for a period of 48 hours.

Advantage of the speed-on-demand service

When you take advantage of speed on demand, Vidéotron bumps up your service to a higher speed for a period of 48 hours and sets your limit accordingly. Refer to speed on demand for the details.