If you’re one of the lucky few mobile phone users who have been grandfathered in to an

你若是少數其中一個還在使用「 吃到飽方案 」的

unlimited data plan, your days are numbered.

你的好日子盡了

Companies left and right are dropping unlimited data or targeting those using more than, say,

電信公司一邊在減少吃到飽的方案一邊在針對那些使用超過，我們說，

200 gigabytes a month.

一個月 200 GB 以上的用戶

Now, that certainly sounds like a lot, and maybe even like some users are abusing their

這聽起來很多，也許某些用戶在濫用他們的

unlimited plans.

吃到飽方案

200 gigs is about 200 hours of Netflix streaming, or 3 and a third marathon sessions of Game

200 GB 的資訊量大約是 200 小時的 Netflix 影音串流，或三個半小時馬拉松式地追

of Thrones.

影集冰與火之歌：權力遊戲

Clearly, these companies are just trying to recoup their costs.

很明顯地，這些電信公司只是在試圖挽救他們的花費

Or are they?

他們真的有在做？

Okay, data is sent over the air, by electromagnetic radio waves, similar to the waves used by radio,

好，資料是經由電磁無線電波在空氣中傳遞的，類似廣播電台的無線電波

television, and WiFi… phone carriers in particular are limited to a certain spectrum.

電視以及 WiFi 等等...電信商只能使用政府許可的特定頻寬提供客戶傳輸信息服務

Mobile data tends to run in the 800 megahertz range.

行動資料通常搭載在 800 Mega 赫茲的頻帶上

But that range means there is a limited amount of physical space for all the data to flow

但頻帶也表示這是個對於通過的資訊流量上有物理空間上的

through.

限制

The reason is that each layer of the wave can only hold a certain amount of

理由是每個電波曾都只能傳輸一定量的

information.

資訊

Basically, a cell phone has a virtual pipeline from the phone to the nearest cell tower,

基本上，一個電話有個虛擬的管線連接著電話到最近的基地台

which only has so much space in it.

也就是說只有有限的傳輸空間供使用

You can only send a certain number of bits per second through your personal pipe.

你只能透過這個管線在每秒鐘內傳輸特定數量的資訊

In real life, this capacity is determined through something called “Shannon’s law”,

在真實的生活中，這個容量被一個叫做「香農極限」所規範

which calculates the physical limit for the amount of data that can be transmitted per

這個定律能夠計算出在被附近所有其他電磁力通過時造成的「雜訊」轟炸之下

second, while being bombarded with “noise” of all the other electromagnetic force flying through the

每秒鐘能夠透過空氣傳輸的資訊量的

air.

物理極限

So, when you upgrade your phone from 3G to LTE, you’re upgrading the encoding of information

所以，當你的手機從3G升級到LTE，你是在擴充每個電子頻譜中能夠

that you can fit into each slice of the electronic magnetic spectrum, and also how much of the spectrum is being

寫進的資訊量，且同時有多少的品譜

used at once: basically, you’re getting a bigger pipe.

同時間被使用：基本上，你得到一個更大的管線就是了

And that’s why each upgrade makes your wireless speed faster.

這也是為什麼每次升級都讓你的網路速度變得更快

But those who stream hundreds of gigabytes from one device take up larger amounts of that over-the-air

但在一行動裝置使用幾百 GB 的頻寬流量的人佔用了很多頻寬

bandwidth that other people could be using at the same time.

使得其他人沒有辦法使用

Even though we’ve never come close to this limit defined by Shannon’s law, our LTE

即使我們從來沒有到達香農極限所規定的上限，我們的 LTE（長程演進技術，一種通訊技術協定）

pipes are basically now full.

管線目前基本上是滿載的狀態

To deal with this problem, companies need to either install more cell phone towers for the

為了處理這個問題，電信公司不是需要建置更多的電信發射基地台以滿足更多流量需求

data, or develop new technologies which allows us to send data better.

就是要發展新科技來讓資料傳輸更加有效率

And infrastructure development is incredibly expensive.

且這些基礎周邊設施的建設是非常昂貴的

Sprint has plans to spend $15 billion dollars over three years just to add and upgrade new

舉例來說，Sprint 計畫要 3年支出 150億美元僅僅為了增加以及將

cell towers, for example, while AT&T, they're spending $3 billion dollars to bring LTE to Mexico.

目前的基地台升級，而同時 AT&T 花費 30億美元在墨西哥建置 LTE 的技術

So plans to shaft the 200 gigabyte club might not just be about the money, but about actually

所以要將 200 GB 俱樂部解散掉的計畫不僅是與錢有關，也與

freeing up some space for the rest of their customers.

將某些空間釋出給其他的客戶有關聯

The real cost of getting the data from those towers to you is actually way more difficult to figure

你從基地台獲取資料流的真實花費是非常難以計算的

out.

一件事情

The information is proprietary, and of course, most of the companies don’t share it.

這些資訊是私有財產，而想當然爾，多數的公司不會分享

When it comes to wired transmission, one independent service provider in Canada, Radiant Communications,

當談到線路傳輸，一個加拿大的獨立服務提供商，Radiant Communications

said the cost is less than 5 cents per gigabyte.

表示大約每 GB 的費用是少於美元五分錢的

Netflix claims it’s about 1 cent.

Netflix 聲稱只要約一分錢

Of course, these are both established companies with infrastructure that's already built.

當然，這些都是在周邊設施都已建設完成的公司為前提下計算的

The cost of wired and wireless data depends on a variety of factors, including how much

線路和無線的資料傳輸成本是取決於許多不同相關因素，包括有多少

infrastructure they have available and when you use your data, because you might use it at a high traffic

周邊設施可供使用，還有何時你能夠使用這些資料，因為你可能在高峰時段使用

time.

網路

One thing we do know about is how much texting costs.

我們只知道一則簡訊要多少錢

As it turns out, texting is virtually free from a purely “data transfer” standpoint.

結果是，從純粹傳輸資料的角度來看，傳簡訊幾乎是免費的

Your phone is constantly in communication with cellphone towers, it is ALWAYS sending information

你的電話是不斷地在與基地台聯繫，持續地傳輸資訊

to let the tower know you’re still there, which is how cell phone tracking is possible.

讓基地台知道你仍然在那邊，這也是讓手機被追蹤這件事情可以成真的原因

But when you send a text, it simply piggybacks off the existing communication, and in particular,

但當你傳簡訊時，就只是搭上現有的通訊的順風車而已，且特別是

occupies, what is referred to as “unused space”.

佔據那些所謂地「未使用空間」

It’s like going on a road trip and bringing along an extra passenger.

就像是去公路旅行額外多載一位乘客一樣的道理

Although it is nice to have them pitch in for the cost of the trip, the cost overall

即便這對那些共乘的人來說是一筆花費，但總體來說

is roughly the same with or without them.

原本的花費不會因為多這個人而有太大差異

And, in this analogy, instead of chipping in for, say, a tank of gas, the passenger is actually

且，在這個比喻中，將晶片比擬成一缸汽油，這名乘客其實

paying for a tanker-truck full of gas.

付了滿滿一整桶的汽油錢

Texting costs have been estimated to be up to 7,314 percent higher than what companies

據估計簡訊的花費是電信公司對相同資料傳輸量能收取費用的七千三百一十四倍

would charge for the equivalent amount of data, which is only about 1/1000th of a penny.

也就是約一美分的千分之一

And while modern unlimited texting plans don’t generally comprise such insane overages, texts

而當現代免費簡訊方案不會常常有這樣不合理的超載使用狀況，簡訊

still cost more than 1/1000th of a cent for the end user… for communication that the cell

的花費對終端用戶來說仍然只比1美分的千分之一多一點點...對於電信公司來說

company was already gonna do anyway.

這是電信事業的一個不可避免的趨勢

Whoever thought of that “charging for texts” thing, they definitely got a corner office.

不論誰覺得要對「 傳簡訊 」收費絕對能夠得到一間轉角的辦公室（升遷）

And a parking spot.

以及一個公司專屬停車位（同指升遷）

But what if you want to get in touch with astronauts in space?

但如果你想要跟外太空的太空人保持聯繫呢？

Can you send them a text?

你會傳簡訊給他們嗎？

Or maybe… you can use a radio invented in the 1890s.

又或者...你可以使用1890年代發明的無線電技術

For more about that super sounding communication, check out this video right here.

想知道關於更多有關這個超傳聲通訊，就看這裡這支影片

Are you afraid of losing your unlimited data plan?

你會害怕失去「上網吃到飽」方案嗎？

Tell us about it in the comments, make sure you subscribe so more DNews and thanks for

在下面評論區告訴我們吧，並且一定要訂閱DNews頻道以收看更多的影片以及謝謝你的

watching.

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