How long will 25GB of hotspot last? Since unlimited data is yet to be a reality for many people, they are restricted to a stipend of daily, weekly and monthly data.
This is unfortunate, considering the growing trend of internet reliance. We conduct business, and access education, entertainment, etc. through the Internet.
Thus, some internet access is better than no internet access. As you wait for Starlink to be available in your area, you may have found an affordable temporary mobile data plan that limits you to 25GB of data.
Is it worth it and how long will it last?
Table of Contents
25GB at a Glance
Limited data is much like the fuel you pump into your car, especially if it’s prepaid.
However, it’s far more abstract and harder for people to wrap their heads around.
Certain activities spend more data than others. Browse too many script-heavy websites and stream too many videos; before you know it, all your data is gone.
Since 1GB = 1024 MB, 25GB equates to 25 600MB. This figure is typically rounded off to 25000 MB to make it more manageable.
In the UK, the average person uses just under 5GB per month.
England uses a combined average of 325GB per month. 25GB makes up about 7.69% of this figure.
Thus, at a glance, 25GB of data is a substantial amount of data. But let’s look at it more contextually.
Your internet needs and desires may differ from other users.
People Videochatting
How long Can 25GB Last?
The most popular internet activities include browsing the internet/social media, streaming music and videos, and gaming. Let’s look at how much data is consumed during each activity.
Browsing the Web and Social Media
Person Using Social Media
We can separate social media usage into two subcategories: scrolling and interacting. Scrolling mostly involves reading text and static images.
On the other hand, interacting involves creating content, commenting, watching videos, listening to audio, etc.
On average, users spend 90MB per hour scrolling social media and/or browsing the internet. They spend 156MB per hour if they interact with posts.
As such, if you use your 25GB of data for nothing else but scrolling, it will last for just under 278 hours (just over 11 days).
However, if you decide to interact with other users, your 25GB stipend will last you up to 161 hours (close to 7 days ).
This is assuming that your data does not have an expiry date.
Streaming Media
Business woman watching live stream
Streaming video and/or audio are other popular use cases for the internet. In fact, a large chunk of the world’s combined data usage is dedicated to streaming video.
YouTube and Netflix are two of the most popular video streaming platforms, whereas Spotify owns the largest market share for audio streaming.
The amount of data you spend on each activity also hinges on the service you’re using as well as the quality you’re streaming.
For instance, streaming high-definition video consumes more data per second/minute than streaming standard-definition video.
So let’s break down each activity’s data consumption by platform and quality, starting with audio.
Streaming Audio
Spotify compresses and streams its music using the AAC lossy format. Streams come in four qualities:
- Low: 24Kbps (10.8MB per hour)
- Medium-low: 96Kbps (42.3MB per hour)
- Medium: 160Kbps (72MB per hour)
- High: 320Kbps (144MB per hour)
25GB will last you just under 2315 hours (just over 96 days) if you stick to streaming the lowest quality audio from Spotify.
Likewise, streaming the highest quality from Spotify will deplete your 25GB stipend in just over 173 hours (over a week).
Streaming Video
Both Netflix and YouTube give you a variety of streaming qualities. Albeit, Netflix videos are typically streamed as either Standard or High Definition.
Streaming standard definition (SD) Netflix can consume as much as 1GB per hour. Whereas, its high-definition (HD) counterpart will cost you 3GB per hour.
Thus, you can stream as much as 25 hours (a day and change) of SD video or just over 8 hours of high-definition video.
YouTube’s compression and caching techniques are slightly better than Netflix’s. 1080p (HD) video only consumes an average of 1.56GB per hour.
4k video is YouTube’s highest setting and it consumes 2.7GB per hour.
Consequently, streaming videos at YouTube’s highest setting will burn through 25GB of data in just under 10 hours.
Gaming
Gamer wearing headphones
Gaming as a whole is one of the biggest industries in the world, bringing revenue streams greater than movies and music combined.
So there’s a very high chance that you’ll use your 25GB hotspot for gaming.
How much data you spend will depend on the game you’re playing. On average, you can expect to go through a minimum of 30 MB and a maximum of 300MB daily.
This means 25GB can last you between 84 (3 days and a half) and 833 hours (35 days).
Conclusion
The above guide examines how long will 25GB of hotspot last. Because not all internet activities are the same, we explored how long 25GB will last per activity.
Ultimately, how long it will last is based on your household’s activities.
If you plan to spend it on gaming and streaming 4K video, 25GB of data is unlikely to last you through an entire month.
However, if you plan to use it for studies, browsing, social media and streaming the odd high-definition movie from time to time, 25GB will be more than enough.
The speed of your internet connection is another factor that you should consider. The faster your connection, the faster your bandwidth will deplete.
