1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (2023)

A 1GB data plan will allow you to browse the internet for around 12 hours, to stream 200 songs or to watch 2 hours of standard-definition video.

1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (1)Nowadays, the key difference between mobile phone price plans is how many gigabytes of data it comes with.

If you're looking for a mobile phone plan with 1GB of data, prices currently start from £3/month in the UK. With your 1GB of data, you'll be able to browse the internet for approximately 12 hours per month, to stream 200 songs online or to watch 2 hours of online video in standard definition.

In this article, we'll discuss what you can do with 1GB of data and how long you can expect your 1GB allowance to last for. We'll also discuss 1GB data plans, where you can find one in the UK and how much you can expect to pay.

Contents

  • 1 How Much Is 1GB Data?
    • 1.1 Pay Monthly SIM Cards
    • 1.2 Pay As You Go SIM Cards
    • 1.3 Alternatives
  • 2 How Long Does 1GB Of Data Last?
  • 3 More Information

How Much Is 1GB Data?

In the UK, a number of mobile networks currently offer 1GB data plans. There's a choice of 5 mobile networks if you're looking for a Pay Monthly SIM card, and a further choice of 3 networks if you're looking for a more flexible Pay As You Go bundle.

Pay Monthly SIM Cards

1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (2)If you're looking for the lowest possible prices, you can get a Pay Monthly SIM card with 1GB of data from £3.99/month. The following table shows a list of currently available deals:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (3)250Unlimited1GB£3.99
£0.95 for 3 months
1 month
1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (4)UnlimitedUnlimited1GB£6.00
1 month
1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (5)UnlimitedUnlimited1GB£8.00
24 months
1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (6)UnlimitedUnlimited1GB£9.00
12 months
1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (7)UnlimitedUnlimited1GB£12.00
12 months
1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (8)UnlimitedUnlimited1GB£15.00
24 months
1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (9)UnlimitedUnlimited1GB£17.00
12 months
1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (10)UnlimitedUnlimited1GB£18.00
1 month
1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (11)1,000Unlimited1GB£20.00
1 month
1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (12)UnlimitedUnlimited1GB£21.00
24 months
To show you the most relevant plans, 5 similar but more expensive plans have been hidden. Tap here to show them.

Contract lengths will vary when taking a Pay Monthly contract. You'll normally need to undergo a credit check when taking out a Pay Monthly contract.

Pay As You Go SIM Cards

1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (13)If you're looking for a bit of extra flexibility, a Pay As You Go bundle allows you to have this with 1GB of data from £3.00/month. There's no commitment to renewing your bundle every month. You can also increase or decrease your data allowance at the end of each month if you find you're on a plan with the wrong amount of data.

The following table shows Pay As You Go bundles with 1GB of data per month:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (14)001GB£3.00
1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (15)UnlimitedUnlimited1GB£5.00
1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (16)UnlimitedUnlimited1GB£6.00
1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (17)UnlimitedUnlimited1GB£6.00
To show you the most relevant plans, 1 similar but more expensive plans have been hidden. Tap here to show them.

There's no need to undergo a credit check when taking a Pay As You Go bundle. It's normally possible to order a free Pay As You Go SIM card: you'll then simply need to top it up with credit to get started.

Alternatives

Instead of choosing a 1GB data plan, it may sometimes make sense to choose a plan with more data. This is especially the case when special offers and promotion are available: you might be able to get a larger allowance of data for the same or for a very similar price:

Amount of DataPay MonthlyPay As You Go
250MB Data-£5.00 £2 more
500MB Data--
1GB Data£3.99£3.00
2GB Data£5.00 £1 more£6.00 £3 more
3GB Data£4.50 £0.5 more£5.00 £2 more
4GB Data£5.00 £1 more£6.00 £3 more
5GB Data£6.00 £2 more£7.00 £4 more
6GB Data£6.00 £2 more£1.00 £2 cheaper
8GB Data£7.00 £3 more-
10GB Data£6.50 £2.5 more£10.00 £7 more
12GB Data£7.00 £3 more£10.00 £7 more
20GB Data£7.00 £3 more£10.00 £7 more
30GB Data£8.95 £5 more£12.00 £9 more
40GB Data£9.95 £6 more£20.00 £17 more
50GB Data£9.90 £6 more£15.00 £12 more
100GB Data£10.50 £6.5 more£19.88 £17 more
Unlimited Data£15.75 £12 more£20.00 £17 more

Some price plans include a data rollover feature giving you a second opportunity to use your data allowance. Alternatively, an unlimited data plan could also be worth thinking about if you'd like a worry-free plan where you never need to think about how much data you're using.

How Long Does 1GB Of Data Last?

1GB of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data Limits (18)When figuring out how much data you need, it's important to think about your own individual usage requirements.

If you choose a plan with too much data, you could be overpaying for lots of data that you don't actually use. On the other hand, choosing a plan with too little data could mean being cut-off from the internet in the middle of the month.

The following table gives you an approximate guide to what you can do with 1GB of data:

Activity1GB data is equal to...
Accessing web pages600 web pages (approx 12 hours browsing)
Basic e-mail/instant message350,000 messages
Rich e-mail/IM (with attachments)2,000 messages
Downloading or streaming music200 songs
Downloading or streaming video (SD)2 hours
Downloading or streaming video (HD)30 minutes
Skype voice call30 hours
Skype video call4 hours
Listening to online radio16 hours
Downloading or updating apps25 apps

We've made a number of assumptions in coming to these numbers. You can read about these in more detail here.

As of 2019, the average UK consumer uses around 3GB of mobile data each month. This has been growing rapidly in the past few years (e.g. it was only 1.9GB in 2017 and 0.2GB in 2012). This makes a 1GB data allowance is a little smaller than average. However, if you find yourself mainly using a wi-fi connection when at home or at work, it's possible you won't need as much data as the average consumer.

For more information, see our guide on how to find out your current data usage.

More Information

Our full guide to mobile download limits has more information including on how to find out how much data you need.

Once you've decided how much data you need, we've summarised the best Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go SIM cards across a variety of price points in the UK.

FAQs

Is it possible to use 1GB of data in a day? ›

1GB (or 1000MB) is about the minimum data allowance you're likely to want, as with that you could browse the web and check email for up to around 40 minutes per day. That's still not much, but should be fine for lighter users.

How many GB of data do you use in an hour? ›

Streaming 2 hours of music daily would use about 3 GB of data each month. General Internet browsing, accessing Google Classroom, and playing online games uses between 60-150 MB per hour. Streaming Netflix for just one hour would use about 3GB of data in just that time alone.

How much is 1 GB of data cost? ›

This statistic shows the average price of cellular data per gigabyte in the United States from 2018 to 2023. In 2018, the average price of cellular data was estimated to amount to 4.64 U.S. dollars per GB.
...
CharacteristicAverage price per cellular gigabyte in U.S. dollars
20213.39
20203.76
20194.18
20184.64
2 more rows
Jan 18, 2023

How long does it take for 1GB to run out? ›

GB is short for Gigabyte - and is equivalent to 1024 megabytes (MB) or 1,048,576 kilobytes (KB). As a rough guide, 1GB of data would let you do one of the following: Watch one hour and 20 minutes of video at Standard Definition. Stream roughly eight hours of high quality music (320kbps)

What uses the most data on your phone? ›

Apps. Apps are likely the biggest data users on your phone. Anything that needs to connect to the Web to update, refresh, or download will use cell data. This means all your social media and streaming apps, from Facebook to Twitter, Spotify to Netflix, will quietly eat up your data.

Is 1 GB enough for a week? ›

Exactly how quickly you'll burn through it will depend on what you're doing on your phone, with it lasting roughly an hour and a half if you're streaming standard-definition video, around eight hours if you're streaming music, through to several weeks if you're only sending and receiving basic emails.

What can be stored on 1GB? ›

/ 1GB holds roughly 230 songs (at 128kbps). That's roughly 16 hours of music or 20 albums. / The average 2 hour movie is 1.5GB. That's two feature lengh films on a 4GB drive, with memory to spare. / War and Peace is 1.7MB in digital form.

What happens when you use all your data on your phone? ›

If you go over your data allowance on your mobile phone, you may get more data automatically and be charged for it. This is true. Check with your mobile phone provider to see if you can cancel these automatic top-ups if you don't want them.

How many GB does a person use a month? ›

On average, North American internet users consumed 536 GB of broadband data per month in 2021. That's an 11% increase from the same time period in 2020. Trends show that internet users are consuming more internet data each year compared to the year before.

How many GB of data does the average person use per month? ›

An average internet user in America consumed 154.6 GB of fixed and mobile data per month in 2021. Average internet user in America, 2021 data: The average fixed broadband data usage per person is 149 GB per month (home network, Wi-Fi). The average mobile user data usage is 5.6 GB per month.

What uses the most data per hour? ›

Activities that use a lot of data
  • High definition video streaming (900MB per hour)
  • Video conferencing, like FaceTime® and Skype® (480MB per hour)
  • Standard-definition video streaming (240MB per hour)
  • Online interactive gaming (60MB per hour)
  • Streaming music (30MB per hour)
  • Downloading movies and large data files.
Dec 7, 2022

What does 1GB of data mean? ›

In technical terms, a gigabyte (1GB) just means 1,024 megabytes. But what a gigabyte of data means in the real world depends on how you use it. In 2020, the average person used about 4.5GB of data a month, but that's just the average.

How much is 1GB in dollars? ›

1 1GB = 3.4749 USD

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

How much does data cost a month? ›

Average costs for internet service in 2022 range from around $36 to $58 per month, depending on speed.

What counts as data usage? ›

Data usage is how much data your phone uploads or downloads using mobile data. To make sure that you're not using too much data on your data plan, you can check and change your data usage.

Is 1GB data enough for Google Maps? ›

On average, Google Maps uses around 2.19MB of data for every hour you're on the road. For comparison, Spotify uses the same amount of data to play a three-minute song. If you have a 1GB data cap, it would take you over 457 hours of driving with Google Maps to reach your limit.

Do I need data on my phone? ›

The advantage of using mobile data is that you can access the internet anywhere, anytime*. So if you want to access emails, check social media or enjoy books and music on your commute you'll need mobile data.

Do text messages use data? ›

You can send and receive text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages through the Messages app . Messages are considered texts and don't count toward your data usage. Your data usage is also free when you turn on chat features.

What apps drain the most data? ›

Which of my apps use the most data?
  • Streaming apps such as Netflix, Stan, Disney+ and BINGE.
  • Social media apps such as Tik Tok, Facebook and Instagram.
  • GPS and ridseharing apps such as Uber, DiDi and Maps.
Feb 5, 2020

How much data do I need for a 2 week trip? ›

Don't forget that these are monthly usage quantities, hence, assuming that you use 5 GB a month during a typical month and your trip is 2 weeks, and your consumption is basically the same, you will be consuming about 2.5GB of data for your trip. Of course, you may need to consider other factors.

Why does my data run out so fast? ›

Your browser tends to consume your data rapidly. This is because browsers provide high-quality pictures and also allow ads that swallow up your data in a short period of time. To avoid this, turn on the data saving mode on these apps.

Is 5GB of data enough for a month? ›

In short, 5GB would be enough for the user who doesn't rely on their mobile data everyday, or who uses it for general browsing every now and then. But if you're an avid streamer, this won't be a big enough plan for you.

Is 1 GB of data enough for a month? ›

1GB,3GB and 30GB is capable of the following: 1GB a month is roughly enough to: Browse for 11 hours. Send 16,000 emails without attachments or 300 with attachments.

How many pages of text is 1 GB? ›

Text files, on average, consist of a whopping 677,963 pages per gigabyte. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the average gigabyte of images contains 15,477 pages; the average gigabyte of PowerPoint slides typically includes 17,552 pages.” Of course, each GB of data is rarely just one type of file.

How many data GB do I need on my phone? ›

If you play a lot of mobile games and/or take a lot of high-res photos, you'll want at least 128GB. However, if you don't use many apps and stream most of your content (like movies and music), you'll probably be fine with 64GB.

What happens if you reach your data limit? ›

Data plans and services that are capped after you reach your allotted limit will require you to purchase more data or services if you run out and you'd like to continue.

What happens when you turn off your mobile data? ›

After turning off mobile data, you'll still be able to make and receive phone calls and get text messages. But you won't be able to access the internet until you reconnect to a Wi-Fi network. Most people have Wi-Fi at home, at work and at random food-and-beverage establishments such as Starbucks.

What happens if I use all my GB of data? ›

A home internet provider usually won't charge extra if you use more than your allowed amount of data. Instead, the system will automatically slow down your internet, so it can only be used for basic things like web pages or reading text. Some internet providers call this shaping your connection.

Why is my phone using data when I'm not on it? ›

Some third-party apps are designed to consume mobile data even with Wi-Fi connected. Some third-party apps, such as online banking apps, may still consume mobile data even if they are connected to a Wi-Fi network. This issue occurs on all Android phones and cannot be resolved by changing the settings on your phone.

How much is unlimited data? ›

Comparison of single line unlimited data plans with autopay discounts applied
CarrierUnlimited data monthly costData limit
AT&T Unlimited &More$7022GB/month
Verizon "gounlimited"$75none
T-Mobile One Plus$8050GB/month
AT&T Unlimited &More Premium$8022GB/month
7 more rows
Sep 4, 2018

Does unlimited data mean unlimited internet? ›

Having unlimited data means you can use the internet as much as you want without facing internet slowdowns or overage charges. Some internet providers offer unlimited data with their plans, so you can stream, game, and attend Zoom meetings to your heart's content.

Is 50GB a lot of data for a month? ›

Is 50GB of data enough for me? For the above average phone user, 50GB looks to be more than enough to last for a whole month's activity, particularly when you consider that you probably won't need to use your mobile data for that entire time if you have Wi-Fi at home.

Why mobile data is not unlimited? ›

Throttled Speeds

The biggest catch in most “unlimited” data plans is speed limits. It's common practice for unlimited plans to only allow access to high-speed data for a set amount, such as 25GB. After you use that much data, your speed gets throttled down.

What does mobile data mean on phone bill? ›

Mobile data allows your phone to access the Internet even when you're not on Wi-Fi. Mobile data gives you an Internet connection anywhere as long as you're connected to a cellular network.

How much data do I have left on my phone for this month? ›

Open the Settings app on your phone. Tap on Connections. Tap on Data usage. Tap on Mobile data usage.

How long will 2GB of data last? ›

Browsing the net with 2GB will last for around 33 hours. So you could browse for around one hour per day before reaching your limit. Similarly, you could use social media for less than an hour each day.

How can I get free 1GB data? ›

Complete Simple contest & Win 1 GB Free Jio Data Instantly.
  1. First Of Download Or Update My Jio App From Google Play Store Or App Store.
  2. Now Open My Jio App & Go To FunEngage Section.
  3. Once You Enter FunEngage Click On Jio Asian Paints Banner.
  4. Now you Have To Complete The All Given Tasks To Win 1GB Free Data.

Is 1GB Big Data? ›

“Big data” is a term relative to the available computing and storage power on the market — so in 1999, one gigabyte (1 GB) was considered big data. Today, it may consist of petabytes (1,024 terabytes) or exabytes (1,024 petabytes) of information, including billions or even trillions of records from millions of people.

How much does 1GB of data cost AT&T? ›

For select plans it is provided in increments of 300MB at $20 per 300MB on a 300MB plan, or 1GB at $15 per GB. Please check your customer service summary for your overage rate.

What is the difference between 1GB and 1GB? ›

A gigabit is 109 or 1,000,000,000 bits. It is one-eighth the size of a gigabyte (GB), which means a gigabit is eight times smaller than a gigabyte.

Why is cellular data expensive? ›

Mergers and rising infrastructure costs have led to a much smaller field of highly profitable service providers. With less direct competition, prices for cell phone plans are unlikely to get any cheaper. Consumers continue to struggle with limited options, both in plan customization and switching companies.

Does it cost to keep mobile data on? ›

Mobile data, either as part of a cellular service or a pay-as-you-go plan, costs money. Unless you have an unlimited data plan, the more you use, the more you pay. It makes sense to reduce the amount of data you use if you aren't on an unlimited plan.

What is the cost of data? ›

Cost data helps you estimate the costs of resources such as personnel, supplies and equipment associated with implementing a project, product, service, or other activity.

Can I just pay for data? ›

What is a data-only plan? Major carriers and MVNOs alike offer data-only plans you can use for any capable device. A data-only plan enables you to access the internet when there is no WiFi available. This can be great for commutes or traveling or even at-home use if you've decided to forgo WiFi.

Will 1GB of data last a month? ›

1GB,3GB and 30GB is capable of the following: 1GB a month is roughly enough to: Browse for 11 hours. Send 16,000 emails without attachments or 300 with attachments.

How many GB is normal per month? ›

Usually internet providers give you 1 TB (1,000 GB) of data per month, although some providers like Xfinity have been slightly more generous. That's plenty for most people. But exceeding your cap leads to overage fees or throttled speeds.

How many days will 2 GB data last? ›

Browsing the net with 2GB will last for around 33 hours. So you could browse for around one hour per day before reaching your limit. Similarly, you could use social media for less than an hour each day.

Is 1GB data roaming enough? ›

- 1GB for mobile hotspot, in turn, may be enough for: 30 minutes of streaming HD videos. 1000 online page visits. 1000 minutes of streaming music files.

Is 1gb enough for a week? ›

Exactly how quickly you'll burn through it will depend on what you're doing on your phone, with it lasting roughly an hour and a half if you're streaming standard-definition video, around eight hours if you're streaming music, through to several weeks if you're only sending and receiving basic emails.

How much data is normal for a month? ›

Indeed, according to NPD, the average U.S. smartphone user now consumes a total of 31.4 GB of data on a monthly basis (a figure that includes both Wi-Fi and cellular consumption). That's up fully 25% from a year prior.

What causes high data usage on cell phone? ›

What causes high data usage on a mobile phone? Streaming movies, music, and games is one of the main causes of high data usage on your smartphone, alongside downloading and uploading files, and updating apps. Another big contributor is video calling on apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Zoom.

How much data is enough for a day? ›

Frequent usage

25GB is roughly enough data for any one of the following: 1250 Hours browsing. 6000 Music Tracks. 160 Hours streaming music.

Is 2 GB enough for a month? ›

With your 2GB of data, you'll be able to browse the internet for approximately 24 hours per month, to stream 400 songs online or to watch 4 hours of online video in standard definition.

Does data roaming always cost money? ›

Any time you use your iPhone or Android device in an area where your carrier's network isn't available, you'll likely see additional charges on your monthly bill. While many carriers allow you to use other voice networks without penalty, that's not always the case with data roaming.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Errol Quitzon

Last Updated: 24/12/2023

Views: 5349

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (79 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Errol Quitzon

Birthday: 1993-04-02

Address: 70604 Haley Lane, Port Weldonside, TN 99233-0942

Phone: +9665282866296

Job: Product Retail Agent

Hobby: Computer programming, Horseback riding, Hooping, Dance, Ice skating, Backpacking, Rafting

Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.