Ultra speed limit set

Ihug has warned it will use newly installed network management software to set a 50kb per second "speed limit" on its Ultra broadband services.

Director Tim Wood said the move was necessary to discourage "excessive" downloading.

"A few people have been downloading 50 or 60 gigabytes a month.

"You could run a small ISP [internet service provider] on that."

According to Mr Wood, the speed limit, which will come into effect on Saturday, will be applied to users who download more than four times the monthly average.

The move has angered many ihug Ultra users, who have claimed that the cap will effectively limit what was previously a flat rate service.