Why does Northwestel have limits on Internet usage?

The usage allowances were implemented to ensure network reliability and make sure that ALL High Speed users enjoy a fun, fast and reliable Internet experience. The limits impact only a very small amount of our customers, and ensure that customers can keep getting reasonable rates for their high-speed connection.

Is Northwestel tracking what I’m doing on the Internet?

We are only tracking how much customers are using the Internet.  Our measurement tools are not tracking what individual customers are actually doing to get their amounts of usage.

Where can I find information on Northwestel’s policies for High Speed Internet service?

Northwestel’s High Speed Internet Terms of Service document is the agreement between High Speed Internet customers and Northwestel and outlines the terms and conditions for access to our High Speed service. Please make sure that you have carefully read this document.

What is Internet usage?

It’s the amount of data your computer sends and receives from the Internet. When you are sending data, such as sending an email or sharing files from your hard drive to other users on the Internet, this is called “uploading”. If you are receiving data, such as getting an email, visiting a website, or getting a music file from the Internet, this is called downloading.

To better understand how much data is transferred through the different Internet activities, visit our estimate your usage section.

How do I know if I’m approaching my limit?

You should check your usage by using Northwestel’s usage tracking tool on our website – it is updated daily and lets you track your Internet usage throughout the month, to help you avoid additional usage charges. Simply enter your Northwestel account number and the 4-digit PIN that was mailed to you when you signed up for the service. If you have misplaced your PIN, please call our Customer Care Centre at 1-888-423-2333.

Can I “roll-over” my allowed usage to the following month?

No, usage allowances cannot be rolled over to following months. No Internet provider with usage limits allows this carry-over, because it defeats the purpose of having the limits. Several Internet users could accumulate their usage and use an “excessive” amount of it at any time, resulting in congestion of the network and negatively affecting the Internet experience for all high-speed users.

What if I want to change my High Speed package in the middle of the month?

You automatically get the usage for the new package you subscribe to for that month – the usage is not pro-rated.

How can I reduce my risk of additional usage charges?

You can take several steps to limit your risk of additional usage charges:

• Make sure to check your usage frequently to measure your usage throughout the month.
• There are also several other ways to reduce your risk of additional usage charges – go to our how to reduce your usage section of our website.

How much do I pay for additional Internet usage?

Additional charges depend on the High Speed package you subscribe to – check the High Speed Internet Usage page for a summary of the additional charges.

Allowances are based on calendar months, not your billing cycle.  If you go over your allowance for a calendar month, it will appear on your bill in the following month under the “one-time charges” on your phone bill.

Why is usage now measured in Gigabytes (GB), not Megabytes (MB)?

We originally tracked Internet usage in MB but have changed to GB. This is to standardize our unit of measure with the one most commonly used in other Internet applications.

Now customers won’t have to convert GB files to MB. This change will make it easier to monitor your usage.

This will not change usage allowances or prices on any of our Internet account options.