Networks have started capping data as they run out of capacity – but their policies are far from transparent for consumers.
![BBC iPlayer Android app being used on an HTC Desire smartphone](http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Media/Pix/pictures/2011/11/22/1321948857651/BBC-iPlayer-Android-app-b-007.jpg)
Demand for mobile web apps such as the BBC iPlayer is driving networks to withdraw their “unlimited” data deals. Photograph: Michael Whitaker
In recent times, the term “unlimited” has joined “free” in the lexicon of most discredited marketing words.
As anyone trying to download a large file during the online evening rush hour will know, unlimited broadband access means anything but. As the traffic increases, connection speeds are deliberately throttled.