As well as price and Internet transfer speeds another factor you will need to consider when choosing an Internet broadband service is the download limit (also referred to as usage allowance).  Not all Internet Service Providers will impose a download limit on your broadband package, but all of them will have a clause somewhere in their contract to prevent ‘excessive use’, and if you breach these rules your broadband connection will be cut, your account cancelled and you will most likely be banned from using that service again.

It is very rare for a domestic Internet customer to achieve an excessive user ban, and you would have to be downloading very high levels of data in order to do so (it is always best to check all limits and clauses before you sign up to a service), and on average even most high level users will not need more than 30Gb per month limits on their accounts.

How do Download Limits Work?
Download limits are measured in gigabytes (Gb), and they can range from 1Gb per month through to 30Gb and some Internet providers also offer unlimited download packages.  Webpages on average contain 50 to 100 kilobytes of data per page, so every time you view a webpage you will be using a certain amount from your download speed.  Here is an example of some of the download limits currently offered and what they mean in real terms on Internet usage:

1Gb per month (lowest download limit offered)
Number of standard web pages (I page = 100 kilobytes of data) – 10,500
Number of standard songs (1 song = 5 megabyte MP3 file) – 205 (about 20 standard albums)

6Gb per month (basic entry level broadband limit)
Number of standard web pages (I page = 100 kilobytes of data) – 63,000
Number of standard songs (1 song = 5 megabyte MP3 file) – 1229 (about 120 standard albums)

30Gb per month
Number of standard web pages (I page = 100 kilobytes of data) – 314,500
Number of standard songs (1 song = 5 megabyte MP3 file)   – 6144 (about standard 600 albums)

Unlimited
Number of standard web pages (I page = 100 kilobytes of data) – Unlimited
Number of standard songs (1 song = 5 megabyte MP3 file)   – Unlimited

As you can see even if you are a high level Internet user you are unlikely to exceed your download limit by viewing webpages alone, and you will only really need 30Gb or an unlimited package if you intend to download a lot of audio and video files or software.