Overview
Throttling is a speed limitation applied to data after a user has consumed their full-speed data allowance. It allows continued data usage at a significantly reduced speed rather than cutting off service entirely.
Throttling is currently supported on two labels:
How throttling works
When a throttled plan is created, it defines two distinct data pools that are consumed in sequence:
- Full-Speed Pool: A defined data allowance (e.g., 1 GB) delivered at unrestricted speeds.
- Throttled Pool: Additional data (e.g., 100 GB) available at a reduced speed (e.g., 5,120 kbps) once the full-speed pool is exhausted.
Example plan structure
| Component | Value | Notes |
|---|
| Full-speed data | 1 GB | Normal, unrestricted speed |
| Throttled data | 100 GB | At 5,120 kbps |
| Validity | 7 days | |
| Iterations | 1 | No automatic data reset |
Key concepts
Throttle speed as a signal
The presence of a throttle speed value in a plan configuration is what tells the system that throttled data is available. It is not merely a speed cap — it activates the throttled data pool.
Throttling does not split a single data pool at a midpoint. For example, a plan with 10 GB does not throttle the user after 5 GB while keeping the remaining 5 GB throttled. The full-speed and throttled pools are always defined as separate, independent allocations.
Label support
| Label | Throttling supported | Notes |
|---|
| LAMBDA | ✅ Yes | Full throttling support |
| TAU | ✅ Yes | With subscription constraints — see below |
| XI | ❌ No | Not supported |
| SIGMA | ❌ No | Not supported |
| OMEGA | ❌ No | Not supported |
| GAMMA | ❌ No | Not supported |
TAU-specific subscription rules
TAU subscriptions with throttled plans follow specific rules regarding plan attachment:
- Once a recurring and throttled plan is set on a TAU subscription — whether in Active or Pending state — no additional plans can be attached to that subscription.
- This restriction is lifted once the recurring throttled plan is Suspended.
- After suspension, any other TAU plan can be added to the subscription as normal.
Plan state reference:
- Active — Plan is currently in use on the subscription.
- Pending — Plan is queued and will activate when the current plan expires.
- Suspended — Plan is paused; the subscription is no longer bound by its restrictions.
Usage tracking
The dashboard and API return usage data for the latest plan iteration only — not cumulative daily iterations. This affects how throttled usage is monitored:
- Daily consumption figures reset each day on the dashboard.
- To calculate total usage across a multi-day throttled plan (e.g., a 7-day plan), a CDR (Call Detail Record) fetch is required.
- The monthly CDR provides complete usage data per ICCID across the entire billing month and is the recommended source for usage verification.
Unsupported scenarios
The following throttling configuration is not currently supported on the Bondio platform:
- Mid-pool throttling: Consuming part of a single data bucket at full speed, then throttling the remainder (e.g., a 10 GB plan where the first 5 GB are full-speed and the last 5 GB are throttled).