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We interrupt this cat video to say you're out of data

Telstra promises real-time mobile data use alerts

Australia's dominant telco, Telstra, has flicked the switch on real-time notifications of mobile data use.

Vulture South has personal experience of Telstra's notifications arriving after users have consumed rather more than their monthly data download allowances. The company is kind to customers who quickly react by purchasing extra data packs, but The Reg understands customers who don't pay up often complain about significant per-megabyte download charges.

Telstra now admits the 48-hour delays can leave punters “frustrated” and has therefore “invested in some pretty sophisticated technology capable of handling hundreds of thousands of data sessions every minute” in order to enable the real-time service.

The carrier's self-service portals have also been upgraded, with mobile data usage meters now updated every fifteen minutes.

Should you consume fifty, eighty or 100 per cent of your mobile data allowance, Telstra says “we will send you a text message within seconds – even if you’re in the middle of watching a funny cat video!”

Interrupting cat videos? That could annoy Telstra customers far more than an excess data charge. Hopefully the company's labs are also working on ways to make sure data use notifications don't interrupt feline frolics. ®

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