What does the term Fair Usage Policy (FUP) used by telcos mean? | Ask Us Anything #37

Welcome back to another episode of Ask Us Anything, where we gather your questions from the internet and answer them.

In today’s episode, we find out between the Xiaomi 12T & Realme GT Neo 3, which gives more bang for your buck, what is the meaning of fair usage policy which is used by telcos on their unlimited internet plans, and a prepaid mobile plan with unlimited calls.

Xiaomi 12T vs Realme GT Neo 3

Well, according to Najib, both the Xiaomi 12T and Realme GT Neo 3 share a lot in common, but here are some key differences.

Firstly, the Xiaomi 12T uses a custom MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Ultra while the Realme GT Neo 3 settles for a standard MediaTek Dimensity 8100. However, both chips have their 4 performance cores running at the same 2.85GHz clock speed.

Secondly, both phones come with 5,000mAh batteries, but the Xiaomi 12T charges at 120W and takes an estimated 19 minutes for a complete charge. Meanwhile, the Realme GT Neo 3 charges at a relatively slow 80W and takes approximately 32 minutes for a full charge.

In the camera department, the Xiaomi takes another win in terms of numbers with a 108MP sensor for the primary wide-angle camera compared to 50MP on the Realme. Finally, Xiaomi has promised the 12T will receive 3 OS updates and 4 years of security updates. Realme on the other hand has not given any assurances on software support for the GT Neo 3.

Now, despite the Xiaomi 12T looking like the better phone, Najib also mentioned that UI also plays a major role when choosing a smartphone. In this case, it would be MIUI 13 on the Xiaomi 12T versus Realme UI 3.0 on the GT Neo 3. Which UI is better will come down to personal preference, therefore it’s best to try out both phones at a retail store before deciding.

The Xiaomi 12T goes for RM1,999 and the Realme GT Neo 3 goes for RM2,099.

What is the meaning of fair usage policy (FUP)?

Fair Usage Policy or more commonly known as FUP is imposed by telcos, typically on their unlimited internet mobile plans to ensure that all customers get a fair share of the limited bandwidth available. This is to prevent any one user from hogging a big chunk of the bandwidth, causing sluggish performance for other users.

This is why you might see an Unlimited Internet plan having a FUP of 60GB for example. Once you have hit the data cap, your internet speed will be slowed down. Many consumers have argued that calling an internet plan unlimited but imposing a quota is technically misleading. Some telcos have started offering unlimited internet plans with no FUP like Yes.

You can check out AUA episodes 31 and 33 where I list down Unlimited Internet mobile plans that currently don’t impose a FUP.

Prepaid plan with unlimited calls

Many prepaid plans these days do come with unlimited calls to all networks.

One example would be Hotlink Unlimited which starts from RM40/month and has a FUP of 50GB.

Then there’s Digi Raja Kombo 35 which costs RM35/month and comes with a 12GB data cap.

The last example would be UMobile U25 which currently costs RM20/month with a FUP of 30GB for its Unlimited Internet.

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